Andrea Cercek

Andrea Cercek led the groundbreaking clinical trial demonstrating that dostarlimab (a PD-1 inhibitor) produced complete clinical responses in all 18 patients with locally advanced mismatch repair deficient rectal cancer, with no patients requiring surgery or radiation. This landmark result published in the New England Journal of Medicine represents a paradigm shift in rectal cancer treatment and the potential for immunotherapy to replace conventional multimodal therapy. She continues to lead studies expanding this approach and understanding predictors of response. Her work offers the prospect of organ preservation for MSI-H rectal cancer patients.