David Fenstermacher, PhD, discusses future directions in metastatic colorectal cancer and the potential impact of research and advancements. He particularly focuses on the promising advancements in the field and their potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

David Fenstermacher, PhD, highlights the use of blood tests that analyze circulating free tumor DNA to track a patient’s response to treatment and detect residual disease. He discusses how these tests provide real-time insights into treatment effectiveness and are less invasive than other methods.

Fenstermacher also notes the development of antibody–drug conjugates and immunotherapies targeting various proteins on cancer cell surfaces. He emphasizes the importance of understanding the tumor microenvironment and developing therapies to make “cold” tumors responsive to immunotherapy.

He further discusses the development of new chemotherapeutic drugs and the identification of new biomarkers for targeted therapies. Dr Fenstermacher mentions preventive measures such as messenger RNA vaccines designed to protect patients with stage 2 or 3 colorectal cancer against specific neoantigens, reducing the risk of metastatic disease.

Additionally, Dr Fenstermacher mentions multicancer early detection tests using methylation and tumor-free DNA technologies, which are rapidly evolving. These tests have high specificity but are still working on identifying the origin of the tumor. He predicts that in the next several years, these tests will become routine, leading to regular cancer screenings similar to cholesterol tests and potentially lowering barriers to early cancer detection.

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, underscores the excitement and importance of participating in clinical trials to advance cancer research, and highlights the collaborative effort required between academic centers and the community to bring forth these groundbreaking technologies.

Video synopsis is AI-generated and reviewed by AJMC editorial staff.