Dr. Tabernero on New Characterizations in CRC

Josep Tabernero, MD, PhD, of Vall d’Hebron University Hospital, Barcelona, discusses new characterizations of colorectal cancer.

Tabernero says physicians have been working on two important colorectal cancer characterizations over the year. While physicians were aware that KRAS mutations played a role as a narrative primitive biomarker for patients with colorectal cancer, Tabernero says, physicians have now discovered that KRAS and NRAS mutations are important narrative primitive factors. Tabernero says that this discovery will allow physicians to focus more on a selective population of patients that will benefit more from EGFR treatments.

Physicians have also made new discoveries concerning BRAF mutated colorectal cancers, which accounts for 5-10% of patients with colorectal cancer, Tabernero says.

Tabernero says physicians are developing important treatment strategies by combining BRAF V600E inhibitor with EGFR inhibitors and other pathway inhibitors. Studies are currently underway to test different treatment strategies in this pathway. More and more, physicians are characterizing different populations of colorectal cancer, Tabernero says, to try to provide these patients with the best treatment options.