Summary
This phase II trial studies how well trastuzumab and pertuzumab work compared to cetuximab and irinotecan hydrochloride in treating patients with HER2/neu amplified colorectal cancer that has spread from where it started to other places in the body (advanced/metastatic) and cannot be removed by surgery. Trastuzumab is a form of “targeted therapy” because it works by attaching itself to specific molecules (receptors) on the surface of cancer cells, known as HER2 receptors. When trastuzumab attaches to HER2 receptors, the signals that tell the cells to grow are blocked and the cancer cell may be marked for destruction by the body’s immune system. Immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, such as pertuzumab and cetuximab, may help the body’s immune system attack the cancer, and may interfere with the ability of tumor cells to grow and spread. Chemotherapy drugs, such as irinotecan hydrochloride, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving trastuzumab and pertuzumab may work better compared to cetuximab and irinotecan hydrochloride in treating patients with colorectal cancer.