Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Histologically confirmed primary colorectal cancer

- Metastatic disease

- Tumor must be confirmed to be K-Ras wild type (i.e., No K-Ras mutation found) by
means of mutation analysis performed on representative samples of diagnostic tumor
tissue by a central reference laboratory (archival tumor samples are acceptable for
K-Ras mutation analysis)

- Must have received a prior thymidylate synthase inhibitor (e.g., fluorouracil,
capecitabine, raltitrexed, or tegafur-uracil) for adjuvant and/or metastatic disease

- Thymidylate synthase inhibitor may have been given in combination with
oxaliplatin or irinotecan hydrochloride

- Must meet one of the following criteria:

- Received and failed* an irinotecan hydrochloride-containing regimen (i.e.,
single-agent or in combination) for treatment of metastatic disease

- Relapsed within 6 months of completion of an irinotecan hydrochloride-containing
adjuvant therapy

- Has documented unsuitability** for an irinotecan hydrochloride-containing
regimen NOTE: *Failure is defined as either progression of disease or
intolerance to the irinotecan-containing regimen, where intolerance is defined
as discontinuation due to any of the following: severe allergic reaction or
delayed recovery from toxicity preventing retreatment NOTE: **Documented
unsuitability for irinotecan includes known hypersensitivity to irinotecan,
abnormal glucuronidation of bilirubin, Gilbert's syndrome, previous
pelvic/abdominal irradiation, or elderly with comorbid conditions

- Must meet one of the following:

- Received and failed* an oxaliplatin-containing regimen (i.e. single-agent or in
combination) for treatment of metastatic disease

- Relapsed within 6 months of completion of an oxaliplatin containing adjuvant
therapy

- Has documented unsuitability** for an oxaliplatin-containing regimen NOTE:
*Failure is defined as either progression of disease or intolerance to the
oxaliplatin-containing regimen, where intolerance is defined as discontinuation
due to any of the following: severe allergic reaction, persistent severe
neurotoxicity or delayed recovery from toxicity preventing retreatment

NOTE: **Documented unsuitability for oxaliplatin includes known hypersensitivity to
oxaliplatin or other platinum compounds, pre-existing renal impairment, or Grade 2 or
greater neurosensory neuropathy

- Measurable or evaluable disease

- Patient must consent to provision of, and investigator(s) must confirm access to and
agree to submit at the request of the NCIC CTG Central Tumor Bank, a representative
formalin fixed paraffin block of tumour tissue

- Patient must consent to provision of a sample of blood

- No symptomatic CNS metastases

- Patients with signs or symptoms suggestive of brain metastasis are not eligible
unless brain metastases are ruled out by CT or MRI scans

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Inclusion criteria:

- ECOG performance status 0-2

- Absolute granulocyte count ≥ 1.5 x 10^9/L

- Platelet count ≥ 75 x 10^9/L

- Hemoglobin ≥ 80 g/L

- Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN) (2.0 times ULN with
documented liver metastases)

- ALT and AST ≤ 2.5 times ULN (5.0 times ULN with documented liver metastases)

- Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN or creatinine clearance > 50 mL/min

- Magnesium > 0.5 mmol/L (1.2 mg/dL)

- LVEF > 45% by ECHO or MUGA scan

- No proteinuria ≥ 2+ on dipstick or ≥ 1 g on 24 hour urine collection

- Not pregnant or nursing

- Negative pregnancy test

- Fertile patients must use effective contraception prior to, during, and for 12 weeks
after completion of study treatment

- Able (i.e., sufficiently fluent) and willing to complete the quality of life (EORTC
QLQ-C30 and Skindex-16) and health utilities questionnaires (HUI3) in either English
or French

Exclusion criteria:

- A history of other malignancies, except: adequately treated nonmelanoma skin cancer,
curatively treated in situ cancer of the cervix, or other solid tumors curatively
treated with no evidence of disease for ≥ 5 years

- Any active disease condition which would render the protocol treatment dangerous or
impair the ability of the patient to receive protocol therapy

- Any condition (e.g., psychological, geographical, etc.) that does not permit
compliance with the protocol

- Uncontrolled or significant cardiovascular disease including any of the following:

- Myocardial infarction within 12 months

- Uncontrolled angina within 6 months

- Clinically significant congestive heart failure

- Stroke, transient ischemic attack, or other ischemic event within 12 months

- Severe cardiac valve dysfunction

- Uncontrolled hypertension (consistent elevation of systolic BP > 150 and diastolic BP
> 100 mmHg)

- History of a thromboembolic event in the last 6 months despite being treated with
anticoagulation

- Patients are eligible if they have experienced a thromboembolic event greater
than 6 months previously and have initiated and are stable on anticoagulation or
if they have previously initiated and are stable on anticoagulation for
prevention of thromboembolic events

- Severe restrictive lung disease or radiological pulmonary findings of "interstitial
lung disease" on the baseline chest x-ray which, in the opinion of the investigator,
represents significant pathology

- Serious non-healing wounds, ulcers, or bone fractures

- History of allergy to brivanib (alaninate or related drug class

- Unable to swallow tablets

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- See Disease Characteristics

- Adequately recovered from recent surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy

- At least 4 weeks must have elapsed from major surgery, prior chemotherapy, prior
treatment with an investigational agent or prior radiation therapy

- No prior cetuximab or other therapy* with targets the EGFR pathway (e.g., erlotinib
hydrochloride, gefitinib hydrochloride, panitumumab)

- May have received a single prior regimen which targets the VEGFR pathway (e.g.,
bevacizumab , vatalanib, AZD2171, sorafenib tosylate, sunitinib malate, or others)

- No prior murine monoclonal antibody therapy (e.g., edrecolomab)

- No other concurrent chemotherapy

- No other concurrent therapies targeting the EGFR pathway (e.g., erlotinib, gefitinib,
panitumumab, or others) or other therapies targeting the VEGFR pathway (e.g.,
bevacizumab , vatalanib, AZD2171, sorafenib tosylate, sunitinib malate, or others)

- Concurrent antihypertensive therapies allowed

- Concurrent aspirin allowed

- No other concurrent noncytotoxic experimental agents