Conditions: Colorectal Cancer
Keywords: colorectal cancer K-Ras wildtype first line metastatic standard cetuximab + FOLFIRI dose escalation cetuximab
Allocation: NON_RANDOMIZED | Intervention model: PARALLEL
Enrollment: 108
Healthy volunteers: no

Brief summary:
The purposes of this study are to determine whether administering escalating doses of cetuximab in patients with no early skin toxicity could delay the progression of disease in a significant proportion of patients and to study the molecular signatures of response.

Detailed description:
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) is the third most common form of cancer worldwide and remains a leading malignancy both in incidence and mortality.

In the light of existing knowledge, the investigators propose a phase II open label, two arm study in patients presenting with K-Ras wild-type metastatic colorectal tumours in the first line setting. The standard combination of irinotecan plus infusional 5-FU/LV (FOLFIRI) and cetuximab will be given to all patients entering the study. As the investigators hypothesize that increasing the dose of cetuximab might increase the intensity of skin reactions that directly correlates with outcome, in patients experiencing no skin toxicity, the dose of cetuximab will be escalated from 250 mg/m2 to 350 mg/m2 and then up to 500 mg/m2, in order to better define the effect of dose escalation in the first-line setting in a K-Ras wild type tumour population and in an attempt to increase efficacy.

Pharmacokinetic studies will be performed to document PK parameters of cetuximab in patients from both arms in selected centers.

Translational research studies are planned for all patients. Some more in depth molecular testing will be performed in a subset of patients from whom three serial tissue samples from accessible metastases by biopsy are available.

Arms:
arm 1: Patients with skin toxicity grade 1-4 or other significant toxicity who are not eligible for dose escalation will continue on the standard dose of cetuximab 250 mg/m2 weekly. No comparison between arms was planned. arm 2: Patients with skin toxicity grade 0 will follow an increasing dose schedule: on days 22 and 29 they will receive 350 mg/m2 and from day 36 onwards, 500 mg/m2 weekly.

Interventions: intervention 1: Dose escalation of cetuximab intervention 2: Standard first line treatment with cetuximab + Folfiri
Intervention descriptions: intervention 1: Dose, frequency \& treatment mode: 400 mg/m2 (loading at day 1) followed by 250 mg/m2 weekly (at day 8 and 15)

Arm allocation at day 22:

Patients with skin toxicity grade 0 will follow an increasing dose schedule: on days 22 and 29 they will receive 350 mg/m2 and from day 36 onwards, 500 mg/m2 weekly intervention 2: Dose, frequency \& treatment mode: 400 mg/m2 (loading at day 1) followed by 250 mg/m2 weekly (at day 8 and 15)

Arm allocation at day 22:

Patients with skin toxicity grade 1-4 or other significant toxicity who are not eligible for dose escalation will continue on the standard dose of cetuximab: 250 mg/m2 weekly.

Protocol document: