Adding Erbitux® (cetuximab) to standard chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer didn’t improve patient outcomes and added more side effects.

All of the patients in the NO147 trial had cancer that had spread to their lymph nodes and had surgery before beginning chemotherapy. They had normal or wild-type KRAS genes in their tumors.They were randomly assigned to FOLFOX chemotherapy for 6 months or FOLFOX plus Erbitux. 

The trial was closed before the planned number of patients were enrolled because an analysis showed that there was no benefit to the additional Erbitux and continuing the trial would not help patients. Read the rest of this entry »

Chemotherapy and Erbitux® (cetuximab) reduced liver tumors from colorectal cancer enough for patients to have them removed surgically.

Although their cancer was initially too extensive to be surgically removed (resected) chemotherapy combined with Erbitux allowed about a third of patients to have surgery that completely removed all visible signs of liver tumors.  Tumor shrinkage occured in about two out of three patients, despite which chemotherapy was used.

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It doesn’t help patients to add Erbitux to FOLFOX chemotherapy after surgery for stage III colon cancer a data monitoring committee for a clinical trial testing the new treatment has decided.

Because the analysis showed that patients were not benefiting from adding Erbitux to FOLFOX chemotherapy, the trial has been closed according to a news release from the National Cancer Institute. Read the rest of this entry »

Sgt. Joshua T. Rose and Iron (Photo by Tina Susman)

Briefly: Pancreatic cancer occurs in about on in five Lynch syndrome families, increasing risk for the cancer substantially.

Colorectal cancer patients whose tumors don’t have EGFR on immunohistochemical testing can still benefit from Erbitux treatment.

Patients learn more and like medical consultations better when doctors sit side-by-side with them to view tests.

Gastroenterologists deployed in Iraq are using their skills to help military working dogs. Read the rest of this entry »

Sorry but today I am also getting into new and very difficult data to discuss but wanted to give it a shot since you may surf the Net and come across data which are shown to be negative leading to some stress if you are on similar or same therapy.

I attended the European Meeting for Medical Oncology in Berlin two weeks ago, and some new data were presented. Let’s start with the good news which is consistent with all the data we have. In a large randomized phase III trial called CRYSTAL comparing FOLFIRI with or without Erbitux® (cetuximab), the data showed that in patients with wild-type KRAS response rate went up to 60% and time to tumor progression increased about 30% but, so far no overall survival benefit was shown.  The trial was criticized for that. Read the rest of this entry »