Use of monoclonal antibodies for metastatic colorectal cancer in the andalusian public health system

Background The place of monoclonal antibodies in metastatic colorectal cancer has not been clearly defined. Objective To determine the treatment pattern of monoclonal antibodies in colorectal cancer patients in the Andalusian Public Healthcare System. Method Data were collected from all patients treated with these drugs from July 2009 to December 2010 from pharmacy programs and medical records. Results Three hundred patients were included, of whom 227 received the antibody at the forefront. The proportion of patients who received bevacizumab in the first line is greater than that of cetuximab (62.1 vs. 37.5 % respectively) and similar in the second line and subsequent (47.8 vs. 53.8 % and 48.5 vs. 46.2 % respectively). XELOXbevacizumab was the most frequently prescribed scheme (35.3 %) followed by FOLFOX-monoclonal antibody schemes, regardless that this was bevacizumab or cetuximab (22.5 %). The median progression free survival (PFS) was 11.7 months for patients receiving cetuximab, 9.6 months for patients receiving bevacizumab and 8.2 months for those who received no monoclonal antibody in the first line. Conclusion Bevacizumab was the antibody of choice in first line, showing utilization rates similar to cetuximab in second line and subsequent. The median PFS in our study is related to the PFS of the major clinical trials.