Bristol-Myers Squibb is in the M&A hot seat, and Pfizer could be the one applying fire.

Accelerated approval for patients with microsatellite instability-high or mismatch repair deficient solid tumors is the first time the US FDA has granted an indication that does not specify the location of the tumor – a change precision medicine researchers have been eager to make.

While most eyes were on AstraZeneca's keenly awaited MYSTIC lung cancer study of Imfinzi, its PACIFIC trial has ducked under the radar and hit investors with the nicest kind of surprise. The results could have wider implications for IO in earlier-stage cancers.