Posted on 02/03/2025 8:58:58 PM PST by ConservativeMind
Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) harboring BRAF V600E mutations benefited from first-line treatment with the targeted therapies encorafenib and cetuximab plus a mFOLFOX6 chemotherapy regimen, according to the Phase III BREAKWATER trial.
The findings demonstrated a 60.9% overall response rate (ORR) with the three-drug combination compared to 40% with the standard-of-care (SOC) treatment—chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab.
In the experimental arm, 68.7% of patients had a duration of response of at least six months, compared to 34.1% of patients in the SOC arm.
"This new regimen highlights the importance of combining dual-targeted therapy with chemotherapy."
More than 150,000 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year. BRAF mutations occur in approximately 8–12% of cases and are associated with aggressive tumor growth, low efficacy from SOC treatments and a poor prognosis, with a median overall survival of less than 12 months.
Previously, there were no first-line targeted therapies approved for patients with BRAF V600E-mutant mCRC.
The trial enrolled patients who were at least 16 years of age with previously untreated BRAF V600E-mutant mCRC. Patients were randomized equally to one of three treatment arms: SOC chemotherapy with or without bevacizumab; a dual combination of encorafenib plus cetuximab; or a triple combination of encorafenib, cetuximab and mFOLFOX6.
When researchers analyzed patient subgroups in the trial, the triple combination showed benefits across important groups, including patients with cancer spread to three or more organs and those with liver metastases.
"These results support this combination as a new first-line standard of care for patients with BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer," Kopetz said. "It also highlights the importance of swiftly identifying molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer at diagnosis to optimize treatment."
The safety profile of this combination was consistent with the known safety profile of each respective drug. No new safety signals were identified.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
I like seeing these health-related posts, but sometimes they seem like drinking from a firehose. My mind is not functionally equipped to analyze it all, let alone to consider the information as actionable in my daily life.
That is why I broke the ping list in two.
This is one of those that only affects a smaller number of people, so it did not ping the Top Issues list.
Thank you for posting this. I’m currently on Encorafenib and cetuximab. Have forwarded this to my oncologist.
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