PD-1 blockade is a promising therapeutic addition to neoadjuvant chemoradiation in locally advanced rectal cancer

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy has been a mainstay of the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade therapy has demonstrated efficacy in combination with radiation. In this issue, Xiao et al. demonstrate promising efficacy with the addition of PD-1 blockade to neoadjuvant therapy for mismatch-repair proficient rectal cancer.