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Pinto C, Orlandi A, Normanno N, Maiello E, Calegari MA, Antonuzzo L, Bordonaro R, Zampino MG, Pini S, Bergamo F, Tonini G, Avallone A, Latiano TP, Rosati G, Cogoni AA, Ballestrero A, Zaniboni A, Roselli M, Tamberi S, Barone C. Fluorouracil, Leucovorin, and Irinotecan Plus Cetuximab Versus Cetuximab as Maintenance Therapy in First-Line Therapy for RAS and BRAF Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: Phase III ERMES Study. J Clin Oncol 2024; 42:1278-1287. [PMID: 38181312 PMCID: PMC11095858 DOI: 10.1200/jco.23.01021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The intensity of anti-EGFR-based first-line therapy for RAS/BRAF wild-type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), once disease control is achieved, is controversial. A de-escalation strategy with anti-EGFR monotherapy represents a potential option to maintain efficacy while reducing cytotoxicity. METHODS In this multicenter, open-label, phase III trial, patients with untreated RAS/BRAF wt mCRC were randomly assigned to receive either fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan/cetuximab (FOLFIRI/Cet) until disease progression (arm A) or FOLFIRI/Cet for eight cycles followed by Cet alone (arm B). The coprimary end points were a noninferior progression-free survival (PFS) in the modified per-protocol (mPP) population (>eight cycles) and a lower incidence of grade (G) 3-4 adverse events (AEs) for arm B compared with arm A. RESULTS Overall, 606 patients were randomly assigned, with 300 assigned to arm A and 306 to arm B. The median follow-up was 22.3 months. In the mPP population, 291 events occurred with a PFS of 10 versus 12.2 months for arms B and A, respectively (P of noninferiority = .43). In the intention-to-treatment (ITT, ≥one cycle) population, 503 events occurred with a PFS of 9 versus 10.7 months (P = .39). The overall survival was 35.7 versus 30.7 months (P = .119) and 31.0 versus 25.2 months (P = .32) in the mPP and ITT population, respectively. Arm B had lower G3-4 AEs during the maintenance period than arm A (20.2% v 35.1%). CONCLUSION The ERMES study did not demonstrate noninferiority of maintenance with Cet alone. Despite a more favorable safety profile, maintenance with single-agent Cet after induction with FOLFIRI/Cet cannot be recommended for all patients but could represent an option in selected cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmine Pinto
- Medical Oncology, Comprehensive Cancer Centre Azienda USL—IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Armando Orlandi
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, UOC Medical Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Nicola Normanno
- Translational Research Departement, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS—Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy
| | - Evaristo Maiello
- Oncology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Maria A. Calegari
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, UOC Medical Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Antonuzzo
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, University of Florence, Italy Clinical Oncology Unit, Careggi University Hospital, Firenze, Italy
| | - Roberto Bordonaro
- Medical Oncology, Azienda Ospedaliera ARNAS Garibaldi, Catania, Italy
| | - Maria G. Zampino
- Division of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology and Neuroendocrine Tumors, European Institute of Oncology, IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Sara Pini
- Ospedale Santa Maria delle Croci, Ravenna, Italy
| | - Francesca Bergamo
- Dipartimento Oncologia 1, IOV—Istituto Oncologico Veneto IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Tonini
- Dipartimento di Oncologia, Fondazione Policlinico Campus Bio-Medico, Facoltà di Medicina Università Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonio Avallone
- Medical Oncology, Istituto Nazionale Tumori-IRCCS Fondazione G. Pascale, Naples, Italy
| | - Tiziana P. Latiano
- Oncology Unit, Foundation IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Gerardo Rosati
- Medical Oncology Unit, S. Carlo Hospital, Potenza, Italy
| | | | - Alberto Ballestrero
- DiMI Università degli Studi di Genova e Ospedale Policlinico San Martino IRCCS, Genova, Italy
| | | | - Mario Roselli
- Medical Oncology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefano Tamberi
- UO Medical Oncology, Area Vasta Romagna Ausl di Ravenna, Presidio Ospedaliero di Faenza, Ospedale Civile degli Infermi, Faenza, Italy
| | - Carlo Barone
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, UOC Medical Oncology, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS, Roma, Italy
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Raimondi A, Nichetti F, Stahler A, Wasan HS, Aranda E, Randon G, Kurreck A, Meade AM, Díaz-Rubio E, Niger M, Stintzing S, Palermo F, Trarbach T, Prisciandaro M, Sommerhäuser G, Fisher D, Morano F, Pietrantonio F, Modest DP. Optimal maintenance strategy following FOLFOX plus anti-EGFR induction therapy in patients with RAS wild type metastatic colorectal cancer: An individual patient data pooled analysis of randomised clinical trials. Eur J Cancer 2023; 190:112945. [PMID: 37441940 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejca.2023.112945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anti-EGFR antibodies plus doublet chemotherapy is the standard of care in RAS/BRAF wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). No phase-3 level of evidence is available to guide treatment de-escalation after anti-EGFR-based first-line. Several randomised clinical trials investigated de-intensification strategies with 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin (5-FU/LV) and/or anti-EGFR. METHODS We performed an individual patient data pooled analysis of Valentino, Panama, MACRO-2, COIN-B trials including RAS wild-type mCRC patients who received first-line therapy with FOLFOX plus panitumumab or cetuximab followed by pre-specified maintenance strategy. Only patients who started maintenance according to the assigned arm were included. Patients were categorised by type of maintenance (i.e. 5-FU/LV, anti-EGFR or 5-FU/LV + anti-EGFR). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated from the start of maintenance; toxicity was evaluated for the maintenance treatment period. RESULTS A total of 518 patients were included in the pooled analysis. Overall, 123, 185 and 210 patients received maintenance with 5-FU/LV, anti-EGFR, 5-FU/LV + anti-EGFR, respectively. Median PFS was 5.6, 6.0 and 9.0 (P = 0.009) and OS was 25.7, 24.0 and 28.0 months (P = 0.134) in 5-FU/LV, anti-EGFR and 5-FU/LV + anti-EGFR arms, respectively. Monotherapy maintenance (either 5-FU/LV or anti-EGFR) was inferior to combination in terms of PFS (hazard ratios [HR] 1.26, P = 0.016) and non-significantly trending also in OS (HR 1.20, P = 0.111). An increase of overall any grade and grade ≥ 3 AEs and selected AEs was reported in combination compared to either 5-FU/LV or anti-EGFR arms. CONCLUSIONS This pooled analysis including four randomised phase II supports the use of 5-FU/LV plus anti-EGFR as the preferred maintenance regimen. Data provide rational for a more individualised maintenance treatment approach based on tumour and patients features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Raimondi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Federico Nichetti
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy; Computational Oncology Group, Molecular Precision Oncology Program, National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Arndt Stahler
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Enrique Aranda
- IMIBIC, Universidad de Córdoba, CIBERONC, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Giovanni Randon
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Annika Kurreck
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Angela M Meade
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, Redhill, England, London, UK
| | - Eduardo Díaz-Rubio
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Clinico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain
| | - Monica Niger
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Sebastian Stintzing
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Federica Palermo
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Tanja Trarbach
- Department of Medical Oncology, Reha-Zentrum am Meer, Bad Zwischenahn, Niedersachsen, Germany
| | - Michele Prisciandaro
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Greta Sommerhäuser
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Berlin, Germany
| | - David Fisher
- MRC Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, Redhill, England, London, UK
| | - Federica Morano
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Filippo Pietrantonio
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.
| | - Dominik P Modest
- Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Tumor Immunology, Berlin, Germany
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