Purpose: Few data of folinic acid, fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus ramucirumab (RAM) obtained in bevacizumab-naïve patients in clinical trials or routine clinical practice are available. The purpose of this retrospective study was to report the results of FOLFIRI plus RAM treatment as second-line chemotherapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).
Methods: Seventy-four patients with mCRC who received second-line FOLFIRI + RAM mCRC therapy were stratified by previous first-line therapy to groups that had (PB) or had not (NPB) been given bevacizumab. The overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response were evaluated.
Results: The overall median PFS was 6.2 months (95% CI 4.6-9.3) and median OS was 17.0 months (95% CI 11.6-NA). Median PFS was 8.0 months (95% CI 4.9-11.2) in NPB patients and 5.0 months (95% CI 3.1-7.3) in PB patients (hazard ratio = 0.72, 95% CI 0.40-1.30, p = 0.28). The response rates were 23% and 3% in NPB and PB patients, respectively. The disease control rates were 85% and 69% in NPB and PB patients, respectively.
Conclusions: The effectiveness of FOLFIRI + RAM as a second-line chemotherapy in patients with mCRC was in line with that reported in the previous RAISE phase III trial. The response was better in bevacizumab-naïve patients than those with first-line treatment that had included bevacizumab.
Keywords: Anti-VEGF; Bevacizumab-naïve; Colorectal cancer; EGFR; RAM.