Immediate post-operative hypersensitivity reaction to Cetuximab in patients pre- operatively treated by the monoclonal antibody : what's wrong ?

Cetuximab, an anti-Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody, has been consid- ered for years as an effective drug in metastatic colorec- tal cancer (mCRC). Three patients, median age 65, were treated in our institution for rectal well-differentiated adenocarcinoma associated with synchronous liver-only metastatic disease. Pre-operative treatment consisted in 6 cycles of FOLFOX (Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 day 1, Elvorine 200 mg/m2 day 1, bolus 5-Fluorouracil 400 mg/m2 day 1 and continuous infusion 5-fluorouracil 2.4 g/m2 for 46 hours, administered every 2 weeks),