BRAF-Targeted Therapy for BRAF V600E-Mutant Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

BRAF V600E mutation in metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) is a poor prognostic factor that leads to resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy. Recent studies indicate that treating BRAF V600E-mutant CRC patients with a BRAF inhibitor and an EGFR-targeted antibody may overcome this resistance and lead to significant response in later-line chemotherapy (e.g., Cancer Discov 2018; 8:428).

To investigate these findings further, researchers conducted an industry-sponsored, international, open-label, randomized, phase III trial (BEACON) involving 665 patients with metastatic BRAF V600E-mutatated CRC who had disease progression on 1 or 2 prior lines of chemotherapy. About half of the patients had right-sided primaries (50%–56%), liver metastases (58%–64%)…