Dr. Fakih on Advances in Liver-Directed Therapies in CRC

Marwan G. Fakih, MD, professor, director, Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, City of Hope, discusses recent advances in liver-directed therapies in colorectal cancer (CRC).

Fakih says there are different liver-directed therapies being evaluated in mCRC. One of the therapies that is receiving attention is radioembolization with yttrium 90. A lot of the data are with SIR-Spheres, a resin-based yttrium 90 product that is currently available and given through the hepatic artery.

Fakih says there are also liver-directed therapies with interarterial chemotherapy administration and there has also been some interest in drug-eluting beads with irinotecan in mCRC.

All of these modalities have either been investigated or are under investigation. Fakih says radioembolization is being tested in several clinical trials in either the first- or second-line setting. In the first-line setting, SIR-Spheres is being investigated in combination with FOLFOX in the FOXFIRE study. TheraSphere, another yttrium 90 product, is being investigated in the second-line treatment of mCRC, Fakih says.

Fakih says both products appear to be relatively safe, but complete data are not yet available. ​