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Panitumumab Fails to Improve Efficacy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving panitumumab added to bevacizumab and chemotherapy showed no improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) and experienced increased toxicity, leading researchers to conclude that this combination is not recommended for clinical practice. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, evaluated the addition of panitumumab to bevacizumab and oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment for mCRC.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study, conducted by J.R. Hecht and colleagues, University of California, involved 823 and 230 patients randomly assigned to the oxaliplatin and irinotecan cohorts, respectively.
  • Panitumumab was discontinued after a planned interim analysis of 812 oxaliplatin patients showed worse efficacy in the panitumumab arm.
  • Median PFS was 10.0 and 11.4 months for the panitumumab and control arms, respectively (HR, 1.27; 95% Cl, 1.06 to 1.52).
  • Median survival was 19.4 months and 24.5 months for the panitumumab and control arms, respectively.
  • Grade 3/4 adverse events in the oxaliplatin cohort included skin toxicity (36% v 1%), diarrhea (24% v 13%), infections (19% v 10%), and pulmonary embolism (6% v 4%).
  • KRAS analyses showed adverse outcomes for the panitumumab arm in both wild-type and mutant groups.
  • The researchers concluded that the addition of panitumumab to bevacizumab and oxaliplatin- or irinotecan-based chemotherapy results in increased toxicity and decreased PFS.

Statistics:

  • 823 patients were randomly assigned to the oxaliplatin cohort.
  • 230 patients were randomly assigned to the irinotecan cohort.
  • 812 patients were analyzed for efficacy in the oxaliplatin cohort.
  • Median PFS was 10.0 months for the panitumumab arm in the oxaliplatin cohort.
  • Median PFS was 11.4 months for the control arm in the oxaliplatin cohort (HR, 1.27; 95% Cl, 1.06 to 1.52).
  • Median survival was 19.4 months for the panitumumab arm in the oxaliplatin cohort.
  • Median survival was 24.5 months for the control arm in the oxaliplatin cohort.

Sources:

  • Hecht, J.R., et al. (2009). A Randomized Phase IIIB Trial of Chemotherapy, Bevacizumab, and Panitumumab Compared With Chemotherapy and Bevacizumab Alone for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer. Journal of Clinical Oncology, 27(5), 672-680.
  • Cancer Weekly editors. (2009). Panitumumab Fails to Improve Efficacy in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment. NewsRx.com.

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