Colorectal cancer includes cancerous growths in the colon, rectum and appendix. It is the third most common form of cancer. Many colorectal cancers are thought to arise from polyps in the colon. Diagnosis is by colonoscopy. Therapy is usually through surgery, with many cases also requiring chemotherapy.

Merck's Erbitux increases survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients

Colorectal Cancer :: Merck's Erbitux increases survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients

Data presented at this year?s American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) meeting show that Merck KGaA?s targeted cancer therapy Erbitux? (cetuximab) significantly prolongs progression-free survival and increases overall response rate in metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

The international EPIC trial (European Prospective Investigation of Cancer) compared Erbitux plus irinotecan-based chemotherapy (n=648) with irinotecan-based chemotherapy alone (n=650) in patients who had failed first-line oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy.

Progression-free survival increased by over 50% in patients receiving Erbitux (3.98 months versus 2.56 months; p<0.0001) while overall response rate (tumor shrinkage by 50% or more) was nearly four times higher in the Erbitux group compared with the irinotecan-only group (16.36% versus 4.15%; p<0.0001).

?We are very encouraged by these new data. There are limited treatment possibilities available for patients whose cancers have progressed on oxaliplatin-based therapies. These findings demonstrate that the addition of Erbitux to patients who have failed oxaliplatin-based therapy gives patients and physicians a new treatment option, and an opportunity to keep the disease at bay for longer,? said Professor Alberto Sobrero, Hospedale San Martino, Genova, Italy, and study lead investigator. ?The EPIC study adds to the rapidly accumulating evidence base for Erbitux, which is proving to be one of the most active targeted therapies available for a range of tumor types.?

Overall survival did not differ significantly between the two trial arms (10.71 months versus 9.99 months). This may have been because over 40% of patients in the control group compared to 11% in the Erbitux arm were given Erbitux as well as irinotecan in combination with Erbitux (a highly active regimen) following disease progression. With patients in both arms of the trial receiving Erbitux, the ultimate survival difference between the two study groups could have been minimized.

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