A Comparison of Folinic Acid, Fluorouracil and Irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus Bevacizumab and FOLFIRI plus Aflibercept as Second-line Treatment for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

A systemic review and meta-analysis of Aflibercept plus FOLFIRI regimen as a second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer: A PRISMA compliant pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials and single arm studies to assess efficacy and safety

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Aflibercept; a decoy receptor for vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) and placental growth factor (PLGF), in combination with FOLFIRI (leucovorin calcium, fluorouracil, irinotecan hydrochloride) chemotherapy regime, was FDA approved in 2012 as second-line salvage chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This is the first systematic review, and meta-analysis-based evidence to determine the efficacy and safety of Aflibercept plus FOLFIRI regimen pooling randomized controlled trials and single-arm studies.

METHOD

PubMed, Cochrane library, Embase, and Clinical trial.gov were systematically searched for published randomized controlled trials, single-arm studies, and national patient programs on aflibercept plus FOLFIRI chemotherapy for the treatment of mCRC till 11/10/2022.

RESULT

Ten studies met the inclusion criteria comprising 1075 patients for efficacy studies and 2027 patients for safety studies. The pooled prevalences were 18% (95% CI, 5%-37%, p = 0.00) for 12m PFS and 61% (95% CI, 53% - 68%, p = 0.00) for 12m OS. The pooled prevalences were 69% (95% CI, 55% - 82%, p = 0.00) for any grade 3-4 toxicities, 10% (95% CI, 5% - 16%, p = 0.00) for grade 3-4 diarrhea, 13% (95% CI, 5% - 24%, p = 0.00) for grade 3-4 hypertension, 31% (95% CI, 22% - 40%, p = 0.00) for grade 3-4 neutropenia and 5% (95% CI, 2% - 7%, p = 0.00) for grade 3-4 venous thromboembolic event.

CONCLUSION

Our meta-analysis shows that the aflibercept plus FOLFIRI combination shows better survival efficacies however; it is also associated with more high-grade adverse events.

Real-World Evaluation of Quality of Life, Effectiveness, and Safety of Aflibercept Plus FOLFIRI in Patients with Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: The Prospective QoLiTrap Study

Aflibercept plus FOLFIRI prolongs overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer after the failure of oxaliplatin-containing therapy. QoLiTrap prospectively evaluated the quality of life (QoL) and effectiveness of this regimen in daily clinical practice, according to RAS status, sex, and prior targeted therapy, especially epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFR-I). The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients whose EORTC QLQ-C30 global health status (GHS) improved or reduced by <5% from baseline during the first 12 weeks of therapy. Secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety. One thousand two hundred and seventy-seven patients were treated with aflibercept plus FOLFIRI and 872 were evaluable for QoL. GHS improved or decreased by <5% in 40.3% of cases. The ORR was 20.8%, the median PFS was 7.8 months (95% confidence interval (CI), 7.3−8.3), and the median OS was 14.4 months (95% CI, 13.1−18.1). After prior EGFR-I, the ORR was 23.7%, median PFS was 9.4 months (95% CI, 6.5−12.9), and median OS was 17.4 months (95% CI, 10.5−33.7). The safety profile was consistent with previously reported data. Aflibercept plus FOLFIRI given in daily practice maintained QoL in mCRC patients, was associated with a high objective tumor response, and retained its activity regardless of sex, RAS status, and prior EGFR-I therapy.