Abstract
Objective: The objective of this systematic review is to summarize the literature to date on the rates of infusion reactions (IR) associated with chemotherapies and monoclonal antibody (mAb) drug therapies used for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and the associated clinical and economic impact. Methods: This study searched Medline, Medline (R) In-Process, Embase and Cochrane Library databases for studies on IRs associated with chemotherapy and mAbs in mCRC patients from 2000-2011.Results: For chemotherapy, the incidence of IRs ranged from 0-71% for all grades and 0-15% for grade 3-4. Rates of all grade IRs associated with cetuximab ranged from 7.6-33% and grade 3-4 IR rates were 0-22%. Rates of all grade IRs associated with panitumumab ranged from 0-4% and rates of grade 3-4 IRs ranged from 0-1%. The overall rate of IRs associated with bevacizumab ranged from 1.6-11%, with a rate of 0-4% for grade 3-4 IRs. A range of 50-100% of patients with grade 3-4 IRs terminated chemotherapy, and 34-100% of cetuximab patients with grade 3-4 IRs discontinued cetuximab therapy. No data were reported for bevacizumab or panitumumab. Only one study evaluated the economic impact of IRs. The study compared cetuximab administrations without an IR to those with an IR requiring resource utilization and found that mean costs were $9308 and $1725 higher for those with an IR requiring an emergency room visit or hospitalization and for those with an IR requiring outpatient treatment, respectively. Conclusions: The incidence of IRs varies among different mAbs; and IRs may cause treatment disruption and require costly medical interventions.
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the USA
Presentation: A portion of the manuscript was presented as a poster (PCN20) at the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) 15th Annual International Meeting 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
According to estimates based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, about 20% of patients with CRC are diagnosed with metastasis [1], and 50% of patients treated for early stage CRC will eventually develop metastases [2]
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in the USA. According to estimates based on the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database, about 20% of patients with CRC are diagnosed with metastasis [1], and 50% of patients treated for early stage CRC will eventually develop metastases [2]. The 5year survival rate for patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) is about 10% [1]. In Europe, CRC is the second most common form of cancer and the second leading cause of death from cancer [3]. Recent advances in molecular oncology and an enhanced understanding of tumor cell signaling pathways have led to new targeted biologic therapies for mCRC that have translated into improvements in patient outcomes.
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