Aflibercept in combination with 5‑fluorouracil (5‑FU)/irinotecan improves overall survival in the second‑line therapy of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). In this study, we evaluated the effects of aflibercept in first‑line therapy with FOLFOX followed by maintenance with fluoropyrimidine. VELVET was a prospective, single‑arm multicenter phase II study (completed). Patients with previously untreated, unresectable, evaluable or measurable mCRC, with an age ≥18 years, and an ECOG performance status of 0‑2 received 6 cycles of modified FOLFOX7 (5‑FU/folinic acid and oxaliplatin) with aflibercept at 4 mg/kg every 2 weeks followed by maintenance therapy with fluoropyrimidine with aflibercept until disease progression or limiting toxicity. The reintroduction of oxaliplatin was performed at first progression. The primary endpoint was progression‑free survival (PFS) at 6 months. From May, 2013 to May, 2014, 49 patients were included and 48 were evaluable for response. In total, 33 patients (67.4%) were alive without progression at 6 months. The Kaplan‑Meier survival 6‑month and 1‑year PFS rates were 79.1 and 36.1%, respectively, and the median PFS was 9.3 months (95% CI, 8.3‑12.5). The objective response rate was 59.2% (N=29/49). The most common (≥10%) grade 3‑4 adverse events were hypertension (23%), fatigue (15%), neutropenia (12%), neuropathy (12%) and stomatitis (10%). Three (6%) treatment‑related deaths occurred: One from stroke, one from pulmonary embolism and one from neutropenic sepsis. On the whole, this study demonstrates the efficacy of aflibercept in combination with an oxaliplatin‑based regimen in the first‑line therapy of patients with mCRC. A strict monitoring of blood pressure and immediate management of hypertension during therapy is mandatory.
Keywords: colorectal cancer; chemotherapy; angiogenesis; FOLFOX; aflibercept.