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World J Gastrointest Oncol. Oct 15, 2020; 12(10): 1080-1090
Published online Oct 15, 2020. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v12.i10.1080
Contemporary treatment approaches for metastatic colorectal cancer driven by BRAF V600 mutations
Ozkan Kanat, Hulya Ertas, Burcu Caner
Ozkan Kanat, Department of Medical Oncology, Acıbadem Bursa Hospital, Bursa 16059, Turkey
Hulya Ertas, Department of Medical Oncology, Bursa City Hospital, Bursa 16059, Turkey
Burcu Caner, Department of Medical Oncoloy, Balıkesir Ataturk City Hospital, Bursa 16059, Turkey
Author contributions: Kanat O performed the majority of the writing, prepared the figure and table; Ertas H and Caner B carried out a literature review for data collection, and coordinated the writing of the paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interests for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ozkan Kanat, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Medical Oncology, Acıbadem Bursa Hospital, Fatih Sultan Mehmet Street, Bursa 16059, Turkey. ozkanat@uludag.edu.tr
Received: June 17, 2020
Peer-review started: June 17, 2020
First decision: July 4, 2020
Revised: July 7, 2020
Accepted: September 22, 2020
Article in press: September 22, 2020
Published online: October 15, 2020
Processing time: 119 Days and 4.9 Hours
Abstract

The treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) harboring BRAF V600 mutations is challenging. These tumors are often refractory to standard treatment. Therefore, the patients may exhibit rapid clinical deterioration, depriving them of the chance to receive salvage therapy. In newly diagnosed patients with good performance status, the administration of an intensive chemotherapy regimen like FOLFOXIRI (5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, oxaliplatin, and irinotecan) along with the antiangiogenic agent bevacizumab can modify this aggressive behavior of the disease and improve patient clinical outcomes. The recently published results of the BEACON (Binimetinib, Encorafenib, and Cetuximab Combined to Treat BRAF-Mutant Colorectal Cancer) study demonstrated that a combination therapy consisting of BRAF, epidermal growth factor receptor, and mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase inhibitors could be a useful second-or third-line alternative. This review summarizes the current treatment strategies for BRAF-mutant mCRC.

Keywords: BRAF mutation; V600 mutations; Metastatic colorectal cancer; Targeted therapies

Core Tip: The treatment of BRAF-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) is particularly challenging. This review discusses the current treatment options for BRAF-mutant mCRC and the expanding role of targeted therapy in its management.