Dr. Morris on Treatment Advances Made in BRAF-Mutated mCRC

Van K. Morris, MD, assistant professor, Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses the recent progress made in the treatment of patients with BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

The use of molecular profiling in patients with mCRC has provided insight on how to best treat patients whose tumors harbor certain aberrations, says Morris. For example, patients with BRAF-mutated mCRC account for 10% of all patients with mCRC and they tend to have bad prognoses. The median survival for these patients is 12 months compared with 2.5 years in those without the alteration, adds Morris.

Recently, combinations of therapies that target the MAPK pathway have resulted in improved survival outcomes in those with BRAF-mutated disease; this is the first time that targeted therapies have shown to be effective for this patient population, concludes Morris.