Radioembolisation with chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases

Dr Mary Mulcahy talks to ecancer about her study: Radioembolisation with chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases: a randomised, open-label, international, multicenter, phase 3 trial.

She begins by explaining that the liver is the most common site of metastasis for colorectal cancer and while a small percentage of those can be resected the majority cannot, either due to the distribution or the bulk of the disease. The aim of this study was to see if PFS could be extended by adding Yttrium-90 radioembolisation to second-line chemotherapy.

Dr Mulcahy continues, once eligibility was met 428 patients from 94 centres were randomised in a 1:1 fashion to standard chemotherapy or Y-90 with chemotherapy. They would receive treatment and were monitored at 8 week intervals for progression or until death. Primary end points were PFS or hepatic PFS.

She concludes that they'll be evaluating all the collected data to identify patients who would be best served with the addition of Y-90 to their second-line chemotherapy. Dr Mulcahy says she'll be interested to see where the site of first progression is for patients when they progress after receiving Y-90 compared to systemic chemotherapy, as well as identifying the changes in quality of life, which is so important for patients with incurable metastatic disease.

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