Cetuximab in association with an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer.

Abstract

The combination of cetuximab with an oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is becoming a consolidate standard as first line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer in RAS wild type patients either in the neoadjuvant setting or in the continuum of care of never resectable disease. Available evidence from clinical trials (not considering regimens containing capecitabine or bolus 5-Fu, as in the COIN and NORDIC study, respectively) has clearly outlined the safety and the efficacy of the combination of FOLFOX and cetuximab. Even the update of the Calgb/Swog 80405 study (with more than 70% of patients treated with FOLFOX) clearly supports the superior activity of FOLFOX+cetuximab in left-sided tumors (70-80% of the real-world population) over chemotherapy + bevacizumab.