A post-marketing safety study of ramucirumab with FOLFIRI in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Ramucirumab [human vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2 monoclonal antibody] + levofolinate, fluorouracil, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) was approved for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) in Japan based on the results from the phase 3 RAISE trial (NCT01183780). However, safety information of ramucirumab + FOLFIRI in the real-world setting is limited. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the safety of ramucirumab + FOLFIRI under routine clinical practice in patients with metastatic CRC (mCRC) after first-line chemotherapy. METHODS: A single-arm, prospective, multicenter, non-interventional, observational study was conducted between August 2016 and May 2020. Patients with mCRC treated with ramucirumab + FOLFIRI for the first time were included. Patients were observed for 12 months from the start of ramucirumab. Data were recorded using the electronic data capture system. RESULTS: In total, 362 patients with a mean age of 64.1 years were evaluated for safety, of whom 355 patients were evaluated for effectiveness. A higher proportion of the patients were males (n=200; 55.2%), had metastases and recurrent sites (n=362, 100.0%), and had received prior anti-cancer treatment (n=355; 98.1%). Approximately 83.7% (n=303) and 25.4% (n=92) of patients had medication history of bevacizumab and anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibodies, respectively. Overall, 84.3% (n=305) of patients experienced any grade adverse events (AEs). Neutrophil count decreased (n=138; 38.1%), hypertension (n=58; 16.0%), and diarrhea (n=57; 15.7%) were observed frequently. The clinically relevant grade ≥3 AEs of special interest (AESIs) with >2% incidence included neutropenia (n=101; 27.9%), hypertension (n=35; 9.7%), proteinuria (n=23; 6.4%), hepatic dysfunction (n=15; 4.1%), febrile neutropenia (n=10; 2.8%), and leukopenia (n=9; 2.5%). The presence of renal disease at baseline increased the risk of proteinuria [risk ratio: 2.1; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.1–4.2]. Three deaths were reported due to AEs, of which 1 was study treatment related. The 12-month survival rate of the ramucirumab + FOLFIRI regimen was 59%, mortality mainly (90%) occurring due to progressive disease. CONCLUSIONS: Although the current observational study enrolled patients with various medication history, the regimen of ramucirumab + FOLFIRI was manageable under clinical practice. No new safety concerns beyond the findings observed in previous clinical trials were reported.