Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 31, 2026

Portal Vein Injection of Colorectal Cancer Organoids to Study the Liver Metastasis Stroma
Published on: September 3, 2021
A Phase II Study Alternating Erlotinib With Second-line mFOLFOX6 or FOLFIRI for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer
Matthew R Kearney1, Emerson Y Chen1, Gina M Vaccaro1
1Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Background:
Based on our pre-clinical data, we hypothesized that sequencing chemotherapy with erlotinib would increase the tumor response rate in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.
Patients And Methods:
A phase II trial (planned n=58) using second-line therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer with either oxaliplatin-based (mFOLFOX6) or irinotecan-based (FOLFIRI) combination chemotherapy and 100 mg erlotinib daily on days 3-8 after each infusion (days 1 and 2) every 14 days. The primary endpoint was the response rate compared to the historical response rate.
Results:
The FOLFIRI/erlotinib arm met the pre-specified response rate criteria of at least 10% to expand accrual to the intended sample size. The trial was halted after an interim safety analysis (n=11) due to excess grade 3 neutropenia, dose reductions and treatment delays. Grade 3 or 4 neutropenia was observed in 64% of patients. The response rate was 18%.
Conclusion:
In second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer, mFOLFOX6 or FOLFIRI with erlotinib in a sequence-dependent fashion is not feasible despite potential promising activity.
Related Concept Videos
Alternative RNA Splicing
There are five types of alternative RNA splicing that vary in the ways the pre-mRNA segments are removed or retained in the mature mRNA. The first...
Alternative RNA Splicing
Null and Alternative Hypotheses
The null hypothesis, denoted by H0 is a statement of no difference between the variables—they are not related. This can often be considered the status quo. As a result if you cannot accept the null, it requires some action.
The alternative hypothesis, denoted by H1 or Ha, is a claim about the...
Phase Diagrams
Mouse Models of Cancer Study
The development of transgenic, knockout, and knock-in mice has led to an exponential increase in their use as model organisms in research,...
Phase Transitions

