Resection with Erbitux boosts survival in Colorectal Cancer patients with Liver Metastases

Adding Erbitux (cetuximab)from Merck Serono/BMS, to conventional chemotherapy improves overall survival (OS) in Colorectal Cancer patients with complete resection of liver metastases that were initially deemed inoperable. The results, presented at the 2011 European Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress, were based on a 110-patient CELIM study which randomised patients to Erbitux plus FOLFOX (leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) or Erbitux plus FOLFIRI (leucovorin, fluorouracil, irinotecan) and re-evaluated them for resectability after 8 cycles and then every 4 cycles. These patients had liver metastases that were considered unresectable. Results showed that the median OS in the overall study population was 33.1 months. Cetuximab/FOLFOX and cetuximab/FOLFIRI showed similar progression-free survival and overall survival rates. "Progression Free and Overall Survival After Neoadjuvant Treatment of Colorectal Liver Metastases With Cetuximab Plus FOLFOX or FOLFIRI - Results of the CELIM Study." Gunnar Folprecht et al. Abstract 6009.