Quality of Life Analysis in Patients With RAS Wild-Type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treated With First-Line Cetuximab Plus Chemotherapy

Abstract Background Adding cetuximab to FOLFIRI (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, irinotecan) significantly improved progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and objective response rate (ORR) in patients with KRAS or RAS ( KRAS / NRAS , exons 2-4) wild-type (wt) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in the first-line CRYSTAL study. The present exploratory and descriptive retrospective analysis assessed the quality of life (QoL) of CRYSTAL study patients with RAS wt mCRC—the labeled indication for cetuximab in many countries. Patients and Methods Patient QoL was investigated using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL questionnaire core-30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). QoL assessments were performed at baseline, after every 8 weeks of treatment, and at the final tumor assessment. RAS wt patients were considered evaluable for QoL if they had provided ≥ 1 evaluable EORTC QLQ-C30. Results Of the 367 patients with RAS wt tumors, 351 were evaluable for QoL. Global health status (GHS)/QoL and the time to worsening of Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status were similar between the treatment groups. However, the analysis was complicated by a large decrease in the number of evaluable patients in the FOLFIRI arm between weeks 32 and 40. The individual dimensions of interest in mCRC (eg, social functioning, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, pain, appetite loss, constipation, diarrhea, and functional difficulties) were also similar between the treatment arms. Changes in GHS/QoL and social functioning from baseline to week 8 were similar, irrespective of whether patients experienced early skin reactions. Conclusion The findings of the present descriptive retrospective analysis suggest that adding cetuximab to first-line FOLFIRI improves PFS, OS, and ORR without negatively affecting the QoL of CRYSTAL study patients with RAS wt mCRC.