Highlight 5: colorectal cancer
In this highlight video, we are fortunate to have Dr Francesco Sclafani, GI medical oncologist from Hôpital Universitaire de Bruxelles – Institut Jules Bordet, sharing the highlights. Dr Sclafani will delve into a range of compelling topics surrounding colorectal cancer, which were thoughtfully presented during the session held on Saturday.
Dr. Sclafani initiates the discussion by highlighting the DEEPER TRIAL, a randomized phase II trial that aimed to assess the efficacy of modified FOLFOXIRI (irinotecan, oxaliplatin, 5-FU) plus cetuximab compared to bevacizumab as a first-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer patients with RAS wild-type mutations. The primary endpoint of the trial focused on evaluating the depth of response throughout the entire treatment course. At the conference in Barcelona, an update on the survival analysis for this trial was presented, providing valuable insights into the long-term outcomes of the study.
In a similar vein, it is important to take note of the Italian phase II AVETRIC study. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of a first-line treatment regimen comprising modified FOLFOXIRI combined with cetuximab and avelumab in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. The study aimed to assess the overall efficacy and potential benefits of this treatment approach.
Dr Sclafani proceeded to discuss the significant BEACON study, which provided an update on its results during the meeting. The BEACON study evaluated the efficacy of encorafenib plus cetuximab, with or without binimetinib, compared to the investigators’ choice of irinotecan or FOLFIRI plus cetuximab. The study specifically focused on patients with metastatic colorectal cancer carrying the BRAFV600E mutation who had experienced disease progression after 1-2 prior treatment regimens. In a primary analysis previously reported, both the triplet and doublet regimens demonstrated improvements in overall survival and objective response rate. The updated results presented at the meeting shed further light on the outcomes of this study.
Dr Sclafani concludes his discussion by summarizing the Phase III LEAP-017 Study. The primary objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of combining pembrolizumab and lenvatinib in comparison to standard-of-care treatments for patients with unresectable stage IV metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) without microsatellite instability high (MSI-H) or mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR). The study specifically focused on patients who had experienced disease progression following standard-of-care treatment or were unable to tolerate such treatment. While it is known that the study did not meet its primary endpoint of overall survival, Dr. Sclafani highlights some interesting preplanned subgroup analyses, providing insights into specific subsets of patients within the study population.
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