The phase III New EPOC trial examined the addition of cetuximab to perioperative systemic chemotherapy versus chemotherapy alone for patients with resectable colorectal liver metastasis. The trial was stopped in 2012 after progression-free survival was found to be reduced in those treated with cetuximab. Now, an analysis performed after long-term follow-up (median 66.7 months) has found that overall survival was also significantly reduced in the chemotherapy plus cetuximab group (median 55.4 months versus 81.0 months; P = 0.036), confirming that cetuximab should not be used in the perioperative setting.
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Bridgewater, J. A. et al. Systemic chemotherapy with or without cetuximab in patients with resectable colorectal liver metastasis (New EPOC): long-term results of a multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial. Lancet Oncol. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30798-3 (2020)
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Dickson, I. Perioperative cetuximab plus chemotherapy reduces overall survival in metastatic disease. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 17, 194 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-0277-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41575-020-0277-9
