PMAB VERSUS CMAB/IRINOTECAN IN KRAS WT mCRC PATIENTS

Survival for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mcrc) has improved substantially as a result of advances in surgical resection and systemic therapy 1–3. Two such therapies are the monoclonal antibodies, panitumumab and cetuximab, which are directed against the human epidermal growth factor receptor (egfr). In randomized phase iii studies, these antibodies have demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of KRAS wild-type (wt) mcrc in combination with first-line chemotherapy 4–9 and second-line chemotherapy 10–12, and as single agents in the thirdline setting 13–15. The clinical use of anti-egfr therapy varies, being influenced by national treatment and reimbursement guidelines, the resectability of hepatic metastases, and the patient’s toleration of other systemic agents. Anti-egfr therapies are particularly favoured for third-line treatment, as shown by a large U.S. study of 1665 mcrc patients treated between 2004 and 2008, which demonstrated that the most common third-line treatment regimens contained anti-egfr agents. Of the patients enrolled in that study, 278 (16.7%) received combination therapy with both ABSTRACT