{"entity":{"id":"eric-van-cutsem","kind":"person","name":"Eric Van Cutsem","aka":[],"tldr":"Led CRYSTAL, which established cetuximab in RAS wild-type colorectal cancer, and has shaped ESMO's GI guidelines for two decades.","summary":"Eric Van Cutsem was principal investigator of CRYSTAL, showing cetuximab plus FOLFIRI improves survival in KRAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer, the result that made RAS testing mandatory. He has led trials across colorectal, gastric, pancreatic and biliary cancers, chaired ESMO's GI guideline committees and the World GI Congress. His current work includes HER2- and KRAS-directed therapy in GI cancers.","asOf":"2026-09-10","links":[{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Van%20Cutsem%20E%5BAuthor%5D%20colorectal%20cetuximab"}],"tags":["colorectal","guidelines","esmo"],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal","gastric","pancreatic"],"sections":[],"technologies":["monoclonal-antibody"],"targets":["egfr","kras"],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":["uz-leuven","esmo"],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["crystal-fire3"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":["annals-of-oncology"],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"role":"Professor of Medicine and Head of Digestive Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven","institutionId":"uz-leuven","specialisms":["Colorectal cancer","Gastro-oesophageal cancer","Anti-EGFR therapy","Guidelines"],"profiles":[{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Van%20Cutsem%20E%5BAuthor%5D%20colorectal%20cetuximab"}],"papers":[{"title":"Cetuximab and chemotherapy as initial treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRYSTAL)","journal":"NEJM","year":2009,"doi":"10.1056/NEJMoa0805019"},{"title":"ESMO consensus guidelines for the management of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer","journal":"Annals of Oncology","year":2016,"doi":"10.1093/annonc/mdw235"}]},"route":"/people/eric-van-cutsem/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"gastric","kind":"cancer","name":"Gastric & gastro-oesophageal junction cancer","route":"/cancers/gastric/"},{"id":"kras-wild-type-pdac","kind":"cancer","name":"KRAS wild-type pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/kras-wild-type-pdac/"},{"id":"metastatic-pdac","kind":"cancer","name":"Metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/metastatic-pdac/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"}],"technology":[{"id":"monoclonal-antibody","kind":"technology","name":"Monoclonal antibodies","route":"/technologies/monoclonal-antibody/"}],"target":[{"id":"egfr","kind":"target","name":"EGFR","route":"/targets/egfr/"},{"id":"kras","kind":"target","name":"KRAS","route":"/targets/kras/"}],"institution":[{"id":"esmo","kind":"institution","name":"European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)","route":"/institutions/esmo/"},{"id":"uz-leuven","kind":"institution","name":"UZ Leuven / Leuven Cancer Institute","route":"/institutions/uz-leuven/"}],"trial":[{"id":"crystal-fire3","kind":"trial","name":"CRYSTAL & FIRE-3","route":"/trials/crystal-fire3/"},{"id":"destiny-gastric02","kind":"trial","name":"DESTINY-Gastric02","route":"/trials/destiny-gastric02/"},{"id":"halo-301","kind":"trial","name":"HALO 109-301","route":"/trials/halo-301/"}],"journal":[{"id":"annals-of-oncology","kind":"journal","name":"Annals of Oncology","route":"/journals/annals-of-oncology/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-van-cutsem-crystal-cetuximab-folfiri-nejm-2009","kind":"paper","name":"Cetuximab and chemotherapy as initial treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRYSTAL)","route":"/key-papers/paper-van-cutsem-crystal-cetuximab-folfiri-nejm-2009/"},{"id":"paper-kopetz-beacon-encorafenib-braf-colorectal-nejm-2019","kind":"paper","name":"Encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab in BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer (BEACON CRC)","route":"/key-papers/paper-kopetz-beacon-encorafenib-braf-colorectal-nejm-2019/"},{"id":"paper-dasari-fresco-2-fruquintinib-lancet-2023","kind":"paper","name":"Fruquintinib versus placebo in patients with refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (FRESCO-2)","route":"/key-papers/paper-dasari-fresco-2-fruquintinib-lancet-2023/"},{"id":"paper-keynote-177-nejm-2020","kind":"paper","name":"KEYNOTE-177: pembrolizumab instead of chemotherapy as first treatment for mismatch-repair-deficient metastatic colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-keynote-177-nejm-2020/"},{"id":"paper-esmo-metastatic-colorectal-cancer-guideline-ann-oncol-2023","kind":"paper","name":"Metastatic colorectal cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up","route":"/key-papers/paper-esmo-metastatic-colorectal-cancer-guideline-ann-oncol-2023/"},{"id":"paper-andre-checkmate-8hw-nivolumab-ipilimumab-nejm-2024","kind":"paper","name":"Nivolumab plus ipilimumab in microsatellite-instability-high metastatic colorectal cancer (CheckMate 8HW)","route":"/key-papers/paper-andre-checkmate-8hw-nivolumab-ipilimumab-nejm-2024/"},{"id":"paper-tejpar-tumour-location-crystal-fire3-jama-oncol-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Prognostic and predictive relevance of primary tumor location in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer: retrospective analyses of the CRYSTAL and FIRE-3 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(RECOURSE)","route":"/key-papers/paper-mayer-recourse-tas-102-nejm-2015/"},{"id":"paper-grothey-correct-regorafenib-lancet-2013","kind":"paper","name":"Regorafenib monotherapy for previously treated metastatic colorectal cancer (CORRECT)","route":"/key-papers/paper-grothey-correct-regorafenib-lancet-2013/"},{"id":"paper-prager-sunlight-trifluridine-tipiracil-bevacizumab-nejm-2023","kind":"paper","name":"Trifluridine-tipiracil and bevacizumab in refractory metastatic colorectal cancer (SUNLIGHT)","route":"/key-papers/paper-prager-sunlight-trifluridine-tipiracil-bevacizumab-nejm-2023/"},{"id":"paper-strickler-mountaineer-tucatinib-trastuzumab-lancet-oncol-2023","kind":"paper","name":"Tucatinib plus trastuzumab for chemotherapy-refractory, HER2-positive, RAS wild-type unresectable or metastatic colorectal cancer (MOUNTAINEER)","route":"/key-papers/paper-strickler-mountaineer-tucatinib-trastuzumab-lancet-oncol-2023/"},{"id":"paper-panova-3-ttfields-locally-advanced-pancreatic-jco-2025","kind":"paper","name":"Tumor Treating Fields With Gemcitabine and Nab-Paclitaxel for Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Randomized, Open-Label, Pivotal Phase III PANOVA-3 Study","route":"/key-papers/paper-panova-3-ttfields-locally-advanced-pancreatic-jco-2025/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"colorectal-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Colorectal cancer roadmap: from the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and the first screening trials to total mesorectal excision, oxaliplatin, RAS testing, immunotherapy for mismatch repair-deficient disease, ctDNA-guided treatment and organ preservation","route":"/roadmaps/colorectal-roadmap/"},{"id":"pancreatic-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Pancreatic cancer roadmap: from Whipple's operation to gemcitabine, FOLFIRINOX, adjuvant chemotherapy, PARP inhibition, KRAS inhibition, vaccines 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