[Long-term beneficial effects of cetuximab in a woman with metastasised rectal carcinoma without expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor]

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006 Nov 18;150(46):2555-9.
[Article in Dutch]

Abstract

A 37-year-old woman presented with an epidermal growth factor-(EGFR)-negative rectum carcinoma with liver metastases. After extensive treatment, consisting of first-line chemotherapy, low anterior resection, isolated liver perfusion, second- and third-line chemotherapy and a pericardiodesis with bleomycin, she was subsequently treated with combination irinotecan and cetuximab therapy. At her last follow-up she had had long-term stable disease for 18 months with clinical benefit. Cetuximab is a monoclonal antibody which targets EGFRR. This exceptional case illustrates that treatment with cetuximab may be of benefit to a patient with EGFR-negative colorectal cancer. The exact mechanism of action and the role ofcetuximab in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer have still to be determined.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Cetuximab
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / surgery
  • ErbB Receptors / immunology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • ErbB Receptors
  • Cetuximab