Cetuximab

The FDA approved a new cetuximab dosage regimen for the treatment of patients with KRAS wild-type, EGFR-expressing colorectal cancer or squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck, according to a press release.

Drinking coffee may reduce the risk for disease progression and death among patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer, according to results of a prospective observational cohort study published in JAMA Oncology.

Cetuximab plus chemotherapy resulted in shorter PFS and OS compared with chemotherapy alone among patients with resectable KRAS exon 2 wild-type colorectal liver metastases, according to results of the randomized phase 3 New EPOC study published in Lancet Oncology.

The FDA approved encorafenib in combination with cetuximab for adults with previously treated BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer.

The FDA granted fast track designation to NBTXR3, with or without cetuximab, for the treatment of patients with locally advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma who are not eligible for platinum-based chemotherapy, according to a company-issued press release.

A combination of encorafenib and cetuximab, with or without binimetinib, demonstrated significant improvement in patient-reported quality-of-life assessments compared with standard-of-care chemotherapy among patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer, according to results of the randomized phase 3 BEACON CRC study scheduled for presentation at Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

Pembrolizumab in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy appeared to be a safe and effective first-line treatment for recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to results of the randomized phase 3 KEYNOTE-048 study published in The Lancet.

Exciting developments in molecular oncology within the past few months include impressive clinical results of a novel drug that targets RET fusions, evidence for variability in gene mutation allele-specific therapy responses, a novel MEK1 resistance mechanism, and an emerging complexity about differences between oncogenic driver mutations regarding the biology of cancer in a given tissue of origin.

BARCELONA, Spain — Triplet therapy with encorafenib, cetuximab and binimetinib significantly extended OS compared with standard treatment for patients with BRAF V600E mutation-positive metastatic colorectal cancer, according to results of the phase 3 BEACON CRC trial presented at European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

A combination of palbociclib and cetuximab demonstrated substantial antitumor activity among patients with platinum- or cetuximab-resistant HPV-unrelated head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to results of a multigroup phase 2 trial published in The Lancet Oncology.