Case Studies: Progression of Treatment in Colorectal Cancer

September 2015

• A 71-year-old Caucasian male presented with severe left lower quadrant pain
  • He sought medical treatment after experiencing bloody diarrhea
• PMH: hypertension, managed with benazepril
• He is active and can perform daily activities without restrictions
• Laboratory findings: remarkable for CEA, 6.0 ng/mL
• Colonoscopy showed a mass in the descending colon which was biopsied
  • Pathological findings: Moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma
• NGS mutation testing results were NRAS, KRAS, HRAS, HER2, and BRAF wild-type
  • Microsatellite stable
• CT of the chest, abdominal, and pelvis showed an 8-cm mass in the sigmoid colon
  • a 2-cm mass in the right lobe of the liver, and a 5-cm in the left lobe adjacent to the left hepatic vein
  • Impression: metastatic disease, borderline resectable
• Treatment was initiated with FOLFIRI + bevacizumab
• Imaging at 3 and 6 months showed decreased size of the liver nodules, but was not resectable

July 2016

• The patient complained of increased fatigue, requiring the need for frequent rest
• CT scan showed increasing size of the liver nodule (3 cm) and appearance of 3 new small liver lesions (<2 cm)
• He began therapy with FOLFOX + bevacizumab

February 2017

• The patient reported weight loss, increasing fatigue, and shortness of breath
• CT scan revealed progressive disease with no improvement in the primary and metastatic lesion size and/or number
• A new pulmonary nodule was seen in the right lung
• He was switched to irinotecan + cetuximab
• PET/CT at 3 months showed stable disease
• At 6 months, he reported moderate improvement in fatigue