Abstract
BACKGROUND: Metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) poses a high rate of morbidity and mortality despite various treatment advances. Cetuximab, an anti-EGFR, has shown promising efficacy in improving outcomes when combined with chemotherapy. Understanding its efficacy is essential for optimizing treatment strategies in mCRC. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of combining cetuximab with chemotherapy in mCRC. METHODS: PubMed and Google Scholar were systematically searched following the benchmarks indicated by PRISMA. The primary outcomes of the study were progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Statistical analyses were executed using Stata version 16. RESULTS: The meta-analysis encompassed 25 studies involving 3788 mCRC patients. The median age spans from 18 to 77 years. The cetuximab plus chemotherapy exhibited a higher PFS and OS with a significant difference (PFS: HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.63-0.96, p < 0.01, I(2) = 38% and OS: HR = 0.78, 95% CI = 0.60-0.91, p < 0.01, I(2) = 47%) compared to the control group. Subgroup analysis based on randomized controlled trials demonstrated consistent treatment effects for PFS (HR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.62-0.93) and OS (HR = 0.76, 95% CI = 0.61-0.88) in the cetuximab treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: Combining cetuximab with chemotherapy offers a potential benefit in improving survival outcomes for metastatic colorectal cancer patients, as indicated by this study. These results suggest that cetuximab may be a valuable addition to mCRC treatment strategies, warranting further clinical investigation and integration into standard care.