Selecting the right systemic therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) remains a major challenge—many patients still don’t benefit from standard regimens, yet experience toxicity and lose valuable time. Patient-derived organoids (PDOs) offer a functional approach: grow a patient’s tumor cells ex vivo and test drug sensitivity directly, potentially complementing genomic biomarkers and improving treatment selection.

In this webinar, we’ll discuss findings from the multicenter prospective OPTIC study, which evaluates whether PDO drug response correlates with clinical response and survival outcomes. We’ll review what drives successful PDO establishment from metastatic biopsies, how standardized drug screening was performed (including key readouts and cutoffs), and how PDO sensitivity to 5-fluorouracil and oxaliplatin aligned with radiologic response, progression-free survival, and overall survival—plus what it could take to bring PDO-guided therapy closer to routine practice.

Key Topics:

• Explain why functional PDO testing is being pursued to improve response prediction in mCRC


• Identify patient- and process-related factors associated with successful PDO establishment from metastatic biopsies


• Describe the OPTIC study workflow and how PDO drug sensitivity was quantified (e.g., GRAUC/AUC, sensitivity cutoffs)


• Interpret the reported predictive performance for 5-FU/oxaliplatin (PPV/NPV, AUROC) and links to PFS/OS


• Discuss practical considerations and limitations for clinical implementation (timelines, standardization, next-trial needs)