Dr. Venook Discusses the Role of Chemotherapy in Metastatic CRC

Alan P. Venook, MD, The Madden Family Distinguished Professor of Medical Oncology and Translational Research at the University of California, San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the role of chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC).

Chemotherapy isn’t particularly critical in the treatment of metastatic CRC, Venook says. What is more important is the choice of biologic in combination with chemotherapy.

There is a suggestion that there is a benefit with cetuximab (Erbitux) in patients with all RAS wildtype CRC in combination with chemotherapy. In a US study though, data showed that bevacizumab (Avastin) and cetuximab are essentially the same in this combination, Venook adds.