Dr. Kopetz on the BEACON CRC Study and Efficacy Response Analysis in mCRC

Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, FACP, professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the phase 3 BEACON CRC study (NCT02928224) and the subsequent efficacy response analysis in patients with BRAF V600E–mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

The BEACON CRC study compared irinotecan-based regimens, which were the standard of care at the time, with the combination of encorafenib (Braftovi) and cetuximab (Erbitux) with or without binimetinib (Mektovi) in patients with previously treated BRAF V600–mutant mCRC, Kopetz says. The doublet and the triplet regimens demonstrated comparable efficacy, and the doublet has since become the current standard of care for this population, Kopetz explains.

A subsequent efficacy response analysis was performed to determine whether the presence of BRAF V600E mutations in patients’ circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) at baseline correlated with response, Kopetz adds. The analysis found that most patients in BEACON CRC had detectable BRAF V600E mutations in their ctDNA at baseline, which correlated with increased response rates in those who received the doublet and triplet regimens during the study, Kopetz says. Although additional evaluation is needed, this analysis suggests that ctDNA could be used to steer treatment decisions in this population, Kopetz concludes.