Andrea Cercek
安德烈娅·切尔切克
MD
Co-Director, Colorectal Cancer Center; Associate Attending, Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterMSK结直肠癌中心联合主任；医学系副主任医师
👥Biography 个人简介
Andrea Cercek, MD is Co-Director of the Colorectal Cancer Center and Associate Attending in the Department of Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is the lead investigator of one of the most remarkable clinical trial results in oncology history: a prospective study demonstrating that neoadjuvant pembrolizumab monotherapy achieved a 100% clinical complete response rate in 12 consecutive patients with locally advanced dMMR/MSI-H rectal cancer — meaning every single patient avoided surgery and radiation entirely, with no patient experiencing recurrence. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2022, this study generated global attention as a potential paradigm shift in the treatment of dMMR rectal cancer, suggesting that immunotherapy alone may cure a subset of patients who previously required life-altering surgery. Dr. Cercek is also a prominent researcher in young-onset colorectal cancer, co-directing MSK's Young Adult Colorectal Cancer Program, investigating the unique molecular biology, risk factors, and treatment needs — including fertility preservation — of patients diagnosed with CRC under age 50. She has been recognized internationally as an emerging leader in GI oncology and a champion for patients underrepresented in traditional oncology research.
🧪Research Fields 研究领域
🎓Key Contributions 主要贡献
Neoadjuvant Pembrolizumab in dMMR Rectal Cancer — 100% Clinical Complete Response
Led the landmark prospective study at MSK demonstrating that 6 months of neoadjuvant pembrolizumab monotherapy achieved a 100% clinical complete response rate in 12 consecutive patients with locally advanced (T2-T4 N0-2) dMMR/MSI-H rectal cancer — all of whom avoided surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy — with no patient experiencing recurrence at median 12-month follow-up, representing the first demonstration that immune checkpoint blockade alone can achieve surgical cure-equivalent outcomes in locally advanced rectal cancer.
Non-Operative Management ("Watch and Wait") in Immunotherapy-Responsive Rectal Cancer
Extended the "watch and wait" paradigm previously applied after chemoradiation-achieved clinical complete responses to pembrolizumab-treated dMMR rectal cancer, demonstrating through longitudinal endoscopic and MRI surveillance that clinical CRs are durable and that non-operative management is safe and organ-preserving in this immunotherapy-responsive subset, informing ongoing confirmatory trials.
Young-Onset CRC Biology and MSK Young Adult CRC Program Co-Direction
Co-directs the MSK Young Adult Colorectal Cancer Program and has led research into the epidemiology, molecular drivers, and clinical features of early-onset CRC (diagnosed before age 50), characterizing unique mutational signatures, microbiome associations, and treatment response profiles in young adults, as well as developing tailored protocols for fertility preservation and survivorship in this growing patient population.
Immunotherapy in Locally Advanced CRC — Expanding the Paradigm from Metastatic to Curative Settings
Has expanded investigations of immunotherapy in the (neo)adjuvant and locally advanced setting for dMMR/MSI-H CRC beyond the originally pembrolizumab-approved metastatic context, leading or contributing to trials combining pembrolizumab with standard perioperative therapy, and investigating the durability of immune responses in organ-preservation strategies as a model for future non-surgical approaches in rectal cancer.
Representative Works 代表性著作
PD-1 Blockade in Mismatch Repair–Deficient, Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
New England Journal of Medicine (2022)
Landmark study demonstrating 100% clinical complete response with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab monotherapy in 12 patients with locally advanced dMMR rectal cancer, allowing all patients to avoid surgery and radiation, representing a potential paradigm shift in the curative treatment of MSI-H rectal cancer.
Rising incidence of colorectal cancer in young adults
JAMA Surgery (2015)
Population-based analysis characterizing the rising incidence of early-onset colorectal cancer in adults under 50, describing molecular and clinical features distinguishing young-onset CRC from average-risk disease.
Perioperative chemotherapy with FOLFOX4 versus surgery alone in patients with resectable liver metastases from colorectal cancer (EORTC Intergroup trial 40983)
The Lancet (2008)
EORTC 40983 perioperative FOLFOX trial supporting chemotherapy in resectable CRC liver metastases; foundational study in the curative CRC liver metastasis context Dr. Cercek operates within.
Association of tumor location and molecular markers with survival in stage III colon cancer: ACCENT database analysis
Journal of Clinical Oncology (2021)
Large database analysis demonstrating significant interactions between primary tumor sidedness, MSI/MMR status, BRAF/RAS mutation status and survival in stage III colon cancer, informing adjuvant treatment decisions.
🏆Awards & Recognition 奖项与荣誉
📄Data Sources 数据来源
Last updated: 2026-04-06 | All information from publicly available academic sources
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