The past decade has been marked by significant advancements in the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), including the approval of novel biologic agents such as the angiogenesis inhibitors bevacizumab and afibercept and the epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) cetuximab and panitumumab. Cetuximab was recently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in combination with FOLFIRI (irinotecan, 5-fuorouracil, leucovorin) for the first-line treatment of patients with KRAS mutation-negative (wild-type) tumors as determined by an FDA-approved companion diagnostic. It was the first FDA approval in mCRC requiring use of a diagnostic test that is predictive of response prior to initiation of frontline therapy.
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