The unmet need in CRC and pMMR LARC
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer related death in the United States with about 159,000 people newly diagnosed each year. The incidence of CRC continues to rise, with a particularly alarming increase in incidence among populations under 50 years of age. Amongst the incident colorectal cancer population, about 53,000 people are diagnosed specifically with rectal cancer each year of which approximately 60 percent are diagnosed with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC).
#1
Leading cause of cancer related death in patients <50 years old in the US
53,000
People diagnosed with rectal cancer each year in the US
159,000
People newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year in the US
30,000
People diagnosed with pMMR LARC each year
LARC is defined by the spread of rectal cancer to nearby tissues or lymph nodes. In patients with LARC, tumors have either grown through muscle and into the outermost layers of the rectum, or in more severe cases, through the wall of the rectum where they may attach to other organs or structures and/or into the lymph nodes.
Patients with mismatch repair–proficient (pMMR) tumors account for approximately 95% of all LARC cases (30,000). When treated with the current standard of care (e.g., chemoradiotherapy), the vast majority of patients progress to metastatic forms of the disease despite undergoing life-altering surgery to remove portions of the rectum and colon. There is an urgent need for advances in the LARC standard of care to offer treatment options for these patients which can eliminate the tumor while offering the potential to avoid surgical intervention and maintain colorectal organ function.
Clinical Trials
Learn about our lead clinical program (NG-350A) which is being studied in mismatch repair proficient (pMMR) locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients in the currently enrolling FORTRESS clinical trial.