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With new chemotherapeutic and targeted agents available, survival in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer has lengthened steadily during the past decade, from 1-year to 2-year median survival. Monoclonal antibodies that block the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) exhibit single-agent activity in colorectal cancer and help to overcome irinotecan (Camptosar) resistance when they are combined with irinotecan-based chemotherapy. The EGFR-targeted antibody cetuximab (Erbitux) is active against refractory disease and seems to enhance both response rate and progression-free survival (PFS) in first-line combination chemotherapy regimens. However, only a minority of patients benefit from treatment with cetuximab, so determining prognosti…