Expert oncologists Prof. Dominik Modest and Dr Sara Lonardi discuss their takeaways from two key clinical trials presented at ASCO 2025, and the potential implications for clinical practice.

 

The physicians discuss data from the following studies:

  • BREAKWATER: First-line encorafenib + cetuximab + mFOLFOX6 in BRAF V600E-mutant mCRC (BREAKWATER): progression-free survival and updated overall survival analyses. Elez E, et al. Abstract LBA3500, ASCO 2025
  • CheckMate 8HW: Nivolumab + ipilimumab vs chemotherapy or nivolumab monotherapy for MSI-H/dMMR mCRC: expanded analyses from CheckMate 8HW. Lenz H-J, et al. Abstract 3501, ASCO 2025

 

Clinical takeaways

 

  • BREAKWATER: demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in PFS and OS with encorafenib, cetuximab (EC) + mFOLFOX6 and establishes front-line EC and FOLFOX as the new standard of care for BRAF V600E–mutant  mCRC.
  • CheckMate-8HW: NIVO + IPI continued to demonstrate improved PFS vs NIVO in patients with MSI-H/dMMR mCRC across all lines of therapy providing further support for NIVO + IPI as the standard of care for patients with MSI-H/dMMR mCRC

Understand the latest highlights on practice-changing BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer data from the ASCO 2025 conference, accentuating the implementation of the latest data into clinical practice, including real-world evidence data

Prof. Dr Dominik Modest studied medicine at the Charité in Berlin, Germany and at the University of Bern, Switzerland. Currently, after 10 years at the LMU in Munich, Germany, he is a physician at the Charité Universitaetsmedizin Berlin, Germany. His research activities focus on metastatic colorectal cancer and include the concept and coordination of trials for the FIRE study group and the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Internistische Onkologie (AIO). Prof. Dr Modest also coordinates the translational research components of these trials, aiming to identify prognostic and predictive biomarkers of metastatic colorectal cancer. His research has been published in several papers in scientific journals. In 2015, he received a postdoctoral qualification on factors for personalisation of metastatic colorectal cancer therapy and a full professorship in 2020.  Prof. Dr Modest is an active member of several national and international cancer associations and served as spokesman for the Young Medical Oncologists of the AIO until 2014.

Prof. Dominik Modest has received financial support/sponsorship for research support, consultation, or speaker fees from the following companies:

Servier, Amgen, Merck, Sanofi, Lilly, BMS, MSD, AstraZeneca, Pierre Fabre, GSK, Seagen, G1, Onkowissen, COR2ED, Taiho, Takeda, Incyte, Cureteq, 21up, IKF, Medscape, Aptitude Health, Bicara, Rottapharm, Agenus, Regeneron, AIO gGmbH

Dr Sara Lonardi is Chief of the Oncology 1 Unit of Veneto Institute of Oncology (IOV) – IRCCS. She obtained her Medical Degree in 2000 and her Oncology specialization in 2004, both from the University of Padova. She has been actively interested in the care of gastrointestinal cancer patients since 1998, and in 2013 became chief of the GI Cancer Unit, being involved in several international and national clinical trials as Principal Investigator. She was also Chief of Phase I Clinical Trial Unit at IOV-IRCCS and pro tempore Chief of the Oncology 3 Unit at IOV-IRCCS. She has published more than 200 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals dealing with gastrointestinal cancers clinical and translational research. She is an active member of Associazione Italiana di Oncologia Medica-AIOM, European Society of Medical Oncology-ESMO and American Society of Medical Oncology-ASCO, and member of the Steering Committee of the ACCENT DataBase.

Dr Sara Lonardi has received financial support/sponsorship for research support, consultation, or speaker fees from the following companies:

Amgen, Astellas, Astra Zeneca, Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, GSK, Incyte, Lilly, Merck Serono, MSD, Pierre-Fabre, Roche, Servier, Takeda, Rottapharm Biotech, Beigene, Helion, Fosum Pharma, Nimbus Therapeutics

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This content is intended for HCPs outside the UK & ROI only. The medical experts in this video are expressing their own views and not those of COR2ED, Supporters or their institution. This programme is supported by an Independent Educational Grant from Pierre Fabre Laboratories.  The programme is, therefore, independent; the content is not influenced by Pierre Fabre Laboratories and is under the sole responsibility of the experts.
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