According to a new study published in the European Journal of Cancer, researchers have found that afatinib is inferior to cetuximab for the treatment of patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma (mCRC) whose disease progressed followed oxaliplatin- and irinotecan-based chemotherapy regimens.
For the phase 2 study, researchers sought to compare the efficacy of afatinib with cetuximab in patients with KRAS wild-type mCRC and to evaluate disease control in patients with KRAS-mutated tumors.
Researchers randomly assigned patients with KRAS wild-type tumors 2:1 to receive afatinib 40mg/day, increasing to 50mg/day, or cetuximab 400mg/m2 loading dose followed by 250mg/m2 weekly. Patients with KRAS-mutated tumors received only afatinib. Results showed unconfirmed and cofirmed objective response rates of 3% and 0% for afatinib compared with 20% and 13% for cetuximab (OR, 0.122; P = 0.0735 and <0.001, respectively).
Median progression-free survival was 46 and 144.5 days for afatinib and cetuximab, respectively. For patients with KRAS-mutated tumors, 12% achieved confirmed stable disease control (P = 0.6394). Patients achieve a median progression-free survival of 41 days and median overall survival of 173 days. Findings suggest that patients with KRAS-mutated tumors achieved modest disease control with afatinib.
Afatinib inferior to cetuximab for the treatment of KRAS wild-type mCRC.
This randomised phase II trial aimed to compare efficacy of the irreversible ErbB family blocker, afatinib, with cetuximab in patients with KRAS wild–type metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma (mCRC) with progression following oxaliplatin– and irinotecan–based regimehe efficacy of afatinib was inferior to cetuximab in patienns.
Efficacy in patients with KRAS mutations was also evaluated. Tts with KRAS wild–type mCRC. In patients with KRAS–mutated tumours, disease control was modest with afatinib. Afatinib had a manageable safety profile.
From Mdlinx
