TY - JOUR T1 - Anti-EGFR Monoclonal Antibodies in Advanced Biliary Tract Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis JF - In Vivo JO - In Vivo SP - 479 LP - 488 DO - 10.21873/invivo.11798 VL - 34 IS - 2 AU - ALESSANDRO RIZZO AU - GIORGIO FREGA AU - ANGELA DALIA RICCI AU - ANDREA PALLONI AU - FRANCESCA ABBATI AU - STEFANIA DE LORENZO AU - MARZIA DESERTI AU - SIMONA TAVOLARI AU - GIOVANNI BRANDI Y1 - 2020/03/01 UR - http://iv.iiarjournals.org/content/34/2/479.abstract N2 - Background: Despite several clinical trials and advances in understanding the genetic basis of biliary tract cancer (BTC), the addition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) targeted therapy does not seem to enhance the activity of first-line chemotherapy (CHT). Materials and Methods: We carried out a meta-analysis of available randomized clinical trials to assess the efficacy and safety of gemcitabine-based first-line CHT plus monoclonal antibodies against EGFR (EGFR-mAbs) in advanced or metastatic BTC. Results: In the overall population, the pooled hazard ratio for overall (OS) and progression-free (PFS) survival were 0.82 (95% confidence interval=0.64-1.06) and 0.88 (95% confidence intervaI=0.73-1.08), respectively. No differences were detected in objective response rate between the two groups. Patients treated with gemcitabine-based CHT plus EGFR-mAbs showed a statistically significant increased risk of grade 3-4 neutropenia, grade 3-4 thrombocytopenia and especially grade 3-4 skin rash. Conclusion: The addition of EGFR-mAbs to gemcitabine-based first-line CHT does not significantly improve overall and progression-free survival, nor the objective response rate in patients with advanced BTC and increases the risk of hematological and cutaneous adverse drug events. ER -