Summary

In a head-to-head comparison, cetuximab (an epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor) combined with first-line leucovorin/5-fluorouracil/irinotecan (FOLFIRI) chemotherapy improved overall survival relative to bevacizumab (an angiogenesis inhibitor) plus FOLFIRI in patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. This article presents the results of the 5-FU, Folinic Acid and Irinotecan Plus Cetuximab Versus FOLFIRI Plus Bevacizumab in First-Line Treatment Colorectal Cancer study, [FIRE-3; NCT00433927; Heinemann V et al. J Clin Oncol 2013 (suppl; abstr LBA3506)].