Impact of KRAS and BRAF gene mutations on targeted therapies in colorectal cancer.

摘要

In Journal of Clinical Oncology, Price et al1 present an analysis of the predictive and prognostic impact of KRAS and BRAF gene mutations in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. In this study, patients were randomly assigned to receive treatment with the fluorouracil prodrug capecitabine either alone or in combination with bevacizumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the vascular endothe-lial growth factor-A (VEGF). The authors conclude that although KRAS mutations are not prognostic, patients with BRAF mutations have significantly worse survival. However, neither mutation was found to modulate outcome when bevacizumab was added to fluorouracil-based therapy. This Understanding the Pathway article provides an opportunity to gain a better understanding of the biology underlying K-Ras and B-Raf.