Patients whose colorectal cancer tumors had a mutation in the KRAS gene had no benefit from treatment with Erbitux® (cetuximab).  They lived no longer after Erbitux treatment began than patients who had no Erbitux. Read the rest of this entry »

Hypomagnesemia, or reduced magnesium levels, is a side effect of Erbitux® (cetuximab) treatment.  Patients with colorectal cancer whose blood magnesium dropped the fastest also had the best response to Erbitux given with Camptosar® (irinotecan) .

Italian researchers measured magnesium levels for 68 patients before treatment began and then 6 hours, 1 7, 14, 21, 50, and 92 days later.  After the seventh day, readings decreased consistently.

Magnesium levels fell at least 20 percent for 25 patients by the third week.  More of these patients responded to treatment, they lived longer before their cancer got worse and had longer overall survival. Read the rest of this entry »

Another study has shown that colon or rectal cancer patients whose tumors have mutated KRAS don’t benefit from Erbitux® (cetuximab).  However, in the study when only patients with normal or wild-type KRAS were considered, survival time almost doubled after treatment with Erbitux began. Read the rest of this entry »