title: [Clinical efficacy observation of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the clinical efficacy of cetuximab plus chemotherapy in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Clinicopathological data of 128 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer admitted in the Department of Oncology, Chinese PLA General Hospital from 2008 to June 2012 were analyzed retrospectively. Among them, 91 patients received cetuximab as the first-line therapy and 37 in the second-line or more-line therapy. The chemotherapy regimens included oxaliplatin-based therapy (FOLFOX/XELOX), irinotecan-based therapy (FOLFIRI/XELIRI) and fluorouracil-based therapy (Xeloda). The efficacy was evaluated according to RECIST 1.0 criteria. The remission rate, control rate and time to disease progression were compared among patients receiving cetuximab combined with different chemotherapy regimens in different periods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The disease control rate of cetuximab applied in the first-line treatment was higher than that of the second-line or more-line [85.9% (61/71) vs. 59.3% (16/27), P=0.004]. The disease control rate of the group treated with cetuximab plus oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy was much higher compared to the other two groups [91.1% (41/45) vs. 68.1% (32/47), 4/6, P=0.021]. But there were no significant differences among three regimens in the terms of overall response rate (all P>0.05). The median time to progression of groups with cetuximab plus irinotecan, oxaliplatin or capecitabine was 7.8 months, 8.5 months and 5.2 months respectively. The median time to progression of cetuximab combined with chemotherapy in the first-line treatment and the second-line or more-line was 8.2 and 7.7 months respectively. However, the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cetuximab in combination with oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy is recommended as the first-line application in the treatment of metastatic colorectal carcinoma patients, because it is helpful to improve the rate of disease control.
authors.affiliation: Department of oncology, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing 100853, China. libai1959@163.com.
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Yishang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Shunchang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bai
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000069287:Capecitabine; D000068818:Cetuximab; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms; D003841:Deoxycytidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D002955:Leucovorin; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D010071:Oxaloacetates; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009944:Organoplatinum Compounds; D010071:Oxaloacetates; D000077150:Oxaliplatin; D003841:Deoxycytidine; D000069287:Capecitabine; D000077146:Irinotecan; D000068818:Cetuximab; D002955:Leucovorin; D005472:Fluorouracil; D002166:Camptothecin