Randomized phase 2 trial of cetuximab maintenance after FOLFIRI plus cetuximab for RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer

There is no consensus on opimal maintenance strategy after induction therapy with chemotherapy and anti-EGFR antibody in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). A noncomparative, multicenter phase 2 trial in France compared maintenance therapy with cetuximab versus observation after induction with FOLFIRI plus cetuximab. The cetuximab group did not meet the primary endpoint of 6-months progression-free rate of 50%. However, meaningful progression-free and overall survival benefits in favor of cetuximab maintenance therapy were observed, especially among patients without a tumor-activating mutation in the MAPK pathway genes. The authors conclude that the study suggests a benefit of single-agent anti-EGFR maintenance.