Efficacy and safety of HER2-targeted inhibitors for metastatic colorectal cancer with HER2-amplified: A meta-analysis

To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-targeted inhibitors for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with HER2-amplified. A systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Wan fang, VIP, and the CNKI database was conducted for literature published up to 28 February 2022 on the use of HER2-targeted inhibitors in the treatment of HER2-amplified mCRC. The retrieved articles were screened to determine the final inclusion of literature and extract relevant data, including the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) (grade ≥3AEs). In our study, we used merging ratios, means, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to describe the efficacy and safety of HER2-targeted inhibitors when treating HER2-amplified mCRC. The meta-analysis included 8 single-arm clinical trials comprising 258 patients with HER2-amplified mCRC who received second-line or above treatment. In our meta-analysis of mCRC treated with HER2-targeted inhibitors, the ORR and DCR were respectively 29% (95% CI 20–40) and 71% (95% CI 63–78). The median PFS (mPFS) and median OS (mOS) were respectively 4.89 months (95% CI 3.82–5.97) and 13.04 months (95% CI 9.45–16.62). The incidence of SAEs was 12% (95% CI 3–25). As the second-line or above treatment, HER2-targeted inhibitors have exhibited good antitumor efficacy and safety in HER2-amplified mCRC patients. Treatment patterns in clinically relevant subpopulations of mCRC patients can be possibly changed using HER2-targeted therapeutic strategies.