David Bhatt

David Bhatt has investigated the surgical implications of microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer, including how neoadjuvant immunotherapy is transforming perioperative management and potentially enabling organ preservation in selected patients. His research has contributed to understanding the remarkable complete response rates achieved with neoadjuvant pembrolizumab or dostarlimab in patients with dMMR/MSI-H rectal cancer, with some series showing 100% clinical complete response rates that enable watch-and-wait instead of surgery. He has examined pathological complete response rates, quality of resected TME specimens, and molecular correlates of response in MSI-H rectal cancers treated with neoadjuvant checkpoint immunotherapy before surgery. His translational work examines ctDNA dynamics in dMMR colorectal cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant immunotherapy to predict pathological response and guide non-operative management decisions.