Limited data are available on the efficacy of anti-IGF-1R agents in KRAS mutant colorectal cancer (CRC). We analysed the outcome of 69 chemorefractory, KRAS exon 2 mutant CRC patients who were enrolled in a double-blind, randomised, phase II/III study of irinotecan and cetuximab plus dalotuzumab 10 mg/kg once weekly (arm A), dalotuzumab 7.5 mg/kg every second week (arm B) or placebo (arm C). Objective response rate (5.6% vs. 3.1% vs. 4.8%), median progression-free survival (2.7 vs. 2.6 vs. 1.4 months) and overall survival (7.8 vs. 10.3 vs. 7.8 months) were not statistically significantly different between treatment groups. Most common grade ≥3 treatment-related toxicities included neutropenia, diarrhoea, hyperglycaemia, fatigue and dermatitis acneiform. Expression of IGF-1R, IGF-1, IGF-2 and EREG by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was assessed in 351 patients from the same study with available data on KRAS exon 2 mutational status. Median cycle threshold values for all biomarkers were significantly lower (i.e., higher expression, p < 0.05) among patients with KRAS wild-type compared to those with KRAS exon 2 mutant tumours. No significant changes were found according to location of the primary tumour with only a trend towards lower expression of IGF-1 in colon compared to rectal cancers (p = 0.06). Albeit limited by the small sample size, this study does not appear to support a potential role for anti-IGF-1R agents in KRAS exon 2 mutant CRC. Data on IGF-1R, IGF-1 and IGF-2 expression here reported may be useful for patient stratification in future trials with inhibitors of the IGF pathway.
Keywords: EREG; IGF-1; IGF-1R; IGF-2; KRAS exon 2 mutation; cetuximab; chemorefractory colorectal cancer; dalotuzumab.
© 2016 UICC.