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Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of FOLFIRI Plus Cetuximab or FOLFOX Plus Cetuximab as First-line Therapy in Subjects With KRAS Wild-type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (APEC-Study)

An Asia Pacific Non-randomized, Open-label Phase II Study Evaluating the Safety and Efficacy of FOLFIRI Plus Cetuximab (Erbitux) or FOLFOX Plus Cetuximab as First-line Therapy in Subjects With KRAS Wild-type Metastatic Colorectal Cancer (APEC-Study)

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 1Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT00778830
Acronym
APEC
Enrollment
289
Registered
2008-10-23
Start date
2009-02-28
Completion date
2014-04-30
Last updated
2015-05-14

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Keywords

mCRC

Brief summary

This is an open-label, non-randomized, multicenter Phase II study evaluating folinic acid + fluorouracil + irinotecan (FOLFIRI) plus cetuximab (Erbitux) or folinic acid + fluorouracil + oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) plus cetuximab as first-line therapy of patients with KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer. Only subjects with k-ras oncogene (KRAS) wild-type tumors are eligible. Efficacy will be assessed every 8 weeks. Treatment will be continued until progressive disease or unacceptable adverse events occur. After the end of study treatment, information on further anticancer treatment and survival will be collected every 3 months.

Interventions

DRUGCetuximab

Cetuximab will be administered intravenously at a dose of 500 milligram per square meter (mg/m\^2) biweekly on Day 1 of 14 days treatment cycle until disease progression, occurrence of unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent.

DRUGFOLFIRI

Irinotecan will be administered intravenously at a dose of 180 mg/m\^2 along with folinic acid administration intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 (racemic) or 200 mg/m\^2 (L-form) and 5-fluorouracil will be administered intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 bolus followed by a 46-hour continuous infusion of 2,400 mg/m\^2 given biweekly until disease progression, death, or consent withdrawal.

DRUGFOLFOX

Oxaliplatin will be administered intravenously at a dose of 100 mg/m\^2 along with folinic acid administration intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 (racemic) or 200 mg/m\^2 (L-form) and 5-fluorouracil administration intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 bolus followed by a 46-hour continuous infusion of 2,400 mg/m\^2 given biweekly until disease progression, death, or consent withdrawal.

Sponsors

Merck Pte. Ltd., Singapore
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

Signed written informed consent * Inpatient or outpatient subjects, 18 years of age * Diagnosis of histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the colon or rectum * Metastatic disease (M1) * Life expectancy of at least 12 weeks * Presence of at least 1 measurable index lesion (not lie in an irradiated area) by computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 at study entry * Effective contraception for both male and female subjects if the risk of conception exists * White blood cell count greater than or equal to (\>=) 3,000 per cubic millimeter (/mm\^3) with neutrophils \>=1,500/mm3, platelet count \>=100,000/mm3, hemoglobin \>=5.6 millimole per liter (mmol/L) (9 gram per deciliter \[g/dL\]) * Total bilirubin less than or equal to (\<=) 1.5 x upper reference range * Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \<=2.5 x upper reference range, or \<=5 x upper reference range in case of liver metastasis * Serum creatinine \<=1.5 x upper reference range * Recovery from relevant toxicity to previous treatment before study entry * KRAS wild-type status of tumor tissue

Exclusion criteria

* Previous chemotherapy for colorectal cancer except adjuvant treatment if terminated \>6 months before the start of treatment in this study * Radiotherapy, surgery (excluding prior diagnostic biopsy) or any investigational drug in the 30 days before the start of treatment in this study * Concurrent chronic systemic immune therapy, targeted therapy, anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapy, or epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR-) pathway targeting therapy not indicated in this study protocol * Concurrent hormone therapy not indicated in this study protocol except for physiologic replacement or contraception * Known hypersensitivity reaction to any of the components of study treatments * Pregnancy (absence to be confirmed by beta human choriongonadotrophin \[beta-hCG\] test) or lactation period * Brain metastasis and/or leptomeningeal disease (known or suspected) * Clinically relevant coronary artery disease, history of myocardial infarction in the last 12 months, or high risk of uncontrolled arrhythmia * Acute or sub-acute intestinal occlusion or history of inflammatory bowel disease * Peripheral neuropathy \> grade 1 * Previous malignancy other than colorectal cancer in the last 5 years except basal cell cancer of the skin or preinvasive cancer of the cervix * Known alcohol or drug abuse * Medical or psychological conditions that would not permit the patient to complete the study or sign informed consent * Participation in another clinical study within the past 30 days * Significant disease which, in the investigator's opinion, would exclude the patient from the study * Legal incapacity or limited legal capacity * KRAS mutated status of tumor tissue

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Percentage of Subjects With Best Overall Confirmed Response Rate (BORR)From the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited until data cut-off date (31 May 2012)Response rate was defined as the percentage of subjects with BORR (confirmed complete response \[CR\] or partial response \[PR\]) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST version 1.0) criteria. As per RECIST v 1.0 criteria for target lesions and assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): CR = disappearance of all target lesions; PR = at least 30 percent (%) decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions. Response rate will be assessed every 8 weeks.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Progression-Free Survival (PFS) TimeFrom the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited and until data cut-off date (31 March 2014)PFS time was defined as the time from first administration of study drug until first observation of disease progression or death when death occurs within 90 days of the last tumor assessment or first study drug dose whichever occurred.
Overall Survival (OS) TimeFrom the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited and until data cut-off date (31 March 2014)OS time was defined as the time from first administration of study drug until date of death, assessed up to 5 years. OS time was censored if the subject was found to be alive on the last date of the assessment.
Number of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathFrom the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited and until data cut-off date (31 March 2014)An Adverse Event (AE) was defined as any new untoward medical occurrences/worsening of pre-existing medical condition without regard to possibility of causal relationship. A Serious Adverse Event (SAE) was an AE that resulted in any of the following outcomes: death; life threatening; persistent/significant disability/incapacity; initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization; congenital anomaly/birth defect. Treatment-emergent are events between first dose of study drug and up to 30 days after last dose that were absent before treatment or that worsened relative to pretreatment state.

Countries

Singapore

Participant flow

Recruitment details

First/Last subject (informed consent): February 2009/June 2012. Study completion date: April 2014. Clinical data cut-off: 31 March 2014. Subjects were recruited in 12 countries (Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan, Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand) across the globe in 43 centers.

Pre-assignment details

Enrolled: 661 screened for eligibility; 372 were excluded (mainly non-fulfillment of inclusion or exclusion criteria). 289 subjects were assigned to the treatment groups.

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRI
Cetuximab was administered intravenously at a dose of 500 milligram per square meter (mg/m\^2) biweekly followed by Folfiri (Irinotecan administered intravenously at a dose of 180 mg/m\^2 ,folinic acid administered intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 (racemic) or 200 mg/m\^2 (L-form), 5-fluorouracil administered intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 bolus followed by a 46-hour continuous infusion at a dose of 2,400 mg/m\^2) on Day 1 of 14 days treatment cycle until disease progression, occurrence of unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent.
101
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOX
Cetuximab was administered intravenously at a dose of 500 milligram per square meter (mg/m\^2) biweekly followed by Folfox (Oxaliplatin administered intravenously at a dose of 180 mg/m\^2, folinic acid administered intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 (racemic) or 200 mg/m\^2 (L-form), 5-fluorouracil administered intravenously at a dose of 400 mg/m\^2 bolus followed by a 46-hour continuous infusion at a dose of 2,400 mg/m\^2) on Day 1 of 14 days treatment cycle until disease progression, occurrence of unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent.
188
Total289

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyOngoing at data cut-off01

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicCetuximab Plus FOLFIRICetuximab Plus FOLFOXTotal
Age, Categorical
<=18 years
0 Participants0 Participants0 Participants
Age, Categorical
>=65 years
31 Participants43 Participants74 Participants
Age, Categorical
Between 18 and 65 years
70 Participants145 Participants215 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Female
35 Participants69 Participants104 Participants
Sex: Female, Male
Male
66 Participants119 Participants185 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
— / —— / —
other
Total, other adverse events
93 / 101177 / 188
serious
Total, serious adverse events
37 / 10164 / 188

Outcome results

Primary

Percentage of Subjects With Best Overall Confirmed Response Rate (BORR)

Response rate was defined as the percentage of subjects with BORR (confirmed complete response \[CR\] or partial response \[PR\]) according to Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST version 1.0) criteria. As per RECIST v 1.0 criteria for target lesions and assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): CR = disappearance of all target lesions; PR = at least 30 percent (%) decrease in the sum of the longest diameter of target lesions. Response rate will be assessed every 8 weeks.

Time frame: From the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited until data cut-off date (31 May 2012)

Population: Intention-to-treat (ITT) population consisted of all the enrolled subjects who received at least one dose of study treatment.

ArmMeasureValue (NUMBER)
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRIPercentage of Subjects With Best Overall Confirmed Response Rate (BORR)54.5 Percentage of subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXPercentage of Subjects With Best Overall Confirmed Response Rate (BORR)61.2 Percentage of subjects
95% CI: [0.8078, 2.1491]
Secondary

Number of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to Death

An Adverse Event (AE) was defined as any new untoward medical occurrences/worsening of pre-existing medical condition without regard to possibility of causal relationship. A Serious Adverse Event (SAE) was an AE that resulted in any of the following outcomes: death; life threatening; persistent/significant disability/incapacity; initial or prolonged inpatient hospitalization; congenital anomaly/birth defect. Treatment-emergent are events between first dose of study drug and up to 30 days after last dose that were absent before treatment or that worsened relative to pretreatment state.

Time frame: From the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited and until data cut-off date (31 March 2014)

Population: Safety population consisted of all the enrolled subjects who received at least one dose of study treatment.

ArmMeasureGroupValue (NUMBER)
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRINumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTEAEs99 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRINumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTreatment Emergent SAEs37 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRINumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTEAEs Leading to Death5 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRINumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTEAEs Leading to Discontinuation0 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXNumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTEAEs Leading to Discontinuation0 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXNumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTEAEs180 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXNumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTEAEs Leading to Death10 Subjects
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXNumber of Subjects With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAEs), Treatment Emergent Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), TEAEs Leading to Discontinuation and TEAEs Leading to DeathTreatment Emergent SAEs64 Subjects
Secondary

Overall Survival (OS) Time

OS time was defined as the time from first administration of study drug until date of death, assessed up to 5 years. OS time was censored if the subject was found to be alive on the last date of the assessment.

Time frame: From the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited and until data cut-off date (31 March 2014)

Population: The ITT population consisted of all the enrolled subjects who received at least one dose of study treatment.

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRIOverall Survival (OS) Time26.6 months
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXOverall Survival (OS) Time27.0 months
Secondary

Progression-Free Survival (PFS) Time

PFS time was defined as the time from first administration of study drug until first observation of disease progression or death when death occurs within 90 days of the last tumor assessment or first study drug dose whichever occurred.

Time frame: From the start of the trial until disease progression, death or last tumor assessment, reported between day of first subject recruited and until data cut-off date (31 March 2014)

Population: The ITT population consisted of all the enrolled subjects who received at least one dose of study treatment.

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Cetuximab Plus FOLFIRIProgression-Free Survival (PFS) Time11.1 months
Cetuximab Plus FOLFOXProgression-Free Survival (PFS) Time11.1 months

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Mar 5, 2026