In mCRC, biomarkers, including KRAS, are indicative of response to cetuximab (Erbitux). 60% of patients express the KRAS wild-type tumor and data have shown that these patients are significantly more likely to benefit from treatment with cetuximab or a combination of cetuximab plus chemotherapy.
Two recent studies demonstrated that patients with KRAS wild-type tumors demonstrated significantly increased response rates and disease free survival when treated with cetuximab and standard chemotherapy (OPUS AND CRYSTAL), compared to patients receiving chemotherapy alone.
There is increasing evidence to support the use of biomarkers in predicting tumor response to treatment, as this allows therapeutic approaches to be tailored or personalized to individual patients and results in improved outcomes and survival. While there remains some scientific controversy on this, assessment for EGFR expression is required for the use of cetuximab (Erbitux) in Colorectal Cancer, but not in Head & Neck Cancer.
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