Key clinical point: The findings from the C-Cubed study support the extension of sequential treatment (fluoropyrimidines with bevacizumab followed by oxaliplatin at first progression) over combination treatment (fluoropyrimidines and oxaliplatin with bevacizumab) in selected patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) who do not need an objective response.
Major finding: Sequential vs combination treatment led to a significantly longer time to failure of strategy (15.2 vs 7.8 months; hazard ratio 0.49; P < .0001). However, the median overall survival ( P = .61) or time between randomization and the first progressive disease ( P = .12) was not significantly different between the treatment groups.
Study details: Findings are from a phase 3 trial, C-Cubed Study , which included 300 patients aged ≥20 years with previously untreated mCRC who were randomly assigned to receive sequential (n = 151) or combination (n = 149) treatment.
Disclosures: The study was sponsored by Chugai Pharmaceutical, Co., Ltd. Some authors reported receiving grants or personal fees from various sources, including Chugai Pharmaceutical.
Source: Inada R et al. Phase 3 trial of sequential versus combination treatment in colorectal cancer: The C-cubed study. Eur J Cancer. 2022;169:166-178 (May 12). Doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.04.009