BRAF V600E-mutant colorectal cancer
Prepared with OnCo (onco.cc/prep/braf-v600e-colorectal/). Orientation, not medical advice; your team knows your case.
My details
What I know, what is unclear, changes to discuss
Saved in this browserMy questions
20 on the sheet- 1.What is my exact diagnosis, stage, and grade, and which tests established them?
- 2.Which biomarkers have been tested on my tumour (for example BRAF V600E by sequencing or VE1 immunohistochemistry, Mismatch repair status, RAS wild-type by definition; co-mutations rare, Consensus molecular subtype 1 enrichment, Circulating tumour DNA to track MAPK reactivation on treatment), and what were the results?
- 3.Which subtype is my cancer, and does that change the recommended treatment?
- 4.Is germline (inherited) genetic testing recommended for me or my family?
- 5.For my situation (metastatic, microsatellite-stable, first line), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 6.Am I a candidate for Encorafenib, Cetuximab, FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin), and what side effects should I expect?
- 7.How do the results of BREAKWATER apply to someone like me?
- 8.For my situation (metastatic, previously treated), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 9.Am I a candidate for Encorafenib, Cetuximab, Trifluridine/tipiracil or related drugs, and what side effects should I expect?
- 10.How do the results of BEACON CRC apply to someone like me?
- 11.For my situation (metastatic, mismatch-repair deficient), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 12.Am I a candidate for Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab, Ipilimumab, and what side effects should I expect?
- 13.How do the results of KEYNOTE-177 and CheckMate 8HW apply to someone like me?
- 14.For my situation (localised), which of the standard options do you recommend and why?
- 15.Am I a candidate for FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin), CAPOX (capecitabine, oxaliplatin), Oxaliplatin, and what side effects should I expect?
- 16.Are there clinical trials I could join, for example of A Study of Encorafenib Plus Cetuximab Taken Together With Pembrolizumab Compared to Pembrolizumab Alone in People With Previously Untreated Metastatic, Efficacy and Safety of Tunlametinib Plus Vemurafenib in Patients With BRAF V600E-mutant Metastatic Colorectal Cancer, BREAKWATER, Encorafenib?
- 17.Would a second opinion at a high-volume centre change anything, and can you help arrange it?
- 18.What supportive care (symptom control, nutrition, exercise, mental health, financial help) is available from the start?
- 19.I read that “No standard therapy after progression on encorafenib and cetuximab”. How does that affect my plan?
- 20.I read that “Resistance through MAPK reactivation and MET amplification is common and untargeted”. How does that affect my plan?
The words I may hear
- Consensus molecular subtypes (CMS1-4): The consensus molecular subtypes are four gene-expression groups of bowel cancer: immune (CMS1), canonical (CMS2), metabolic (CMS3), and mesenchymal (CMS4), with different prognoses.
- Sidedness (left vs right colon): Where in the colon a tumour starts changes its biology and which drugs work.
- Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA): Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) consists of fragments of DNA shed by tumour cells into the blood, detectable with sensitive sequencing.
- Microsatellite instability (MSI-H) / mismatch repair deficiency (dMMR): Microsatellite instability is the mark of a broken DNA spell-checker (loss of MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 or PMS2) that leaves thousands of mutations, so the tumour displays abnormal proteins that T cells can recognise.
Tests and results to bring
Biomarker results to ask for: BRAF V600E by sequencing or VE1 immunohistochemistry, Mismatch repair status (immunotherapy if deficient), RAS wild-type by definition; co-mutations rare, Consensus molecular subtype 1 enrichment, Circulating tumour DNA to track MAPK reactivation on treatment.
Scans and tests linked to this cancer: Liquid biopsy (ctDNA).
Bring copies of scan reports, pathology and blood results, and a list of every medicine and supplement.
The treatments I may be offered
- Localised: Surgery and stage-based adjuvant FOLFOX or CAPOX as for colorectal cancer; BRAF status does not yet change adjuvant treatment outside trials. (FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin), CAPOX (capecitabine, oxaliplatin), Oxaliplatin)
- Metastatic, microsatellite-stable, first line: Encorafenib plus cetuximab plus mFOLFOX6 (BREAKWATER); encorafenib plus cetuximab alone for patients unfit for chemotherapy. (BREAKWATER, Encorafenib, Cetuximab, FOLFOX (5-FU, leucovorin, oxaliplatin), Small-molecule kinase inhibitors)
- Metastatic, mismatch-repair deficient: Checkpoint blockade first (pembrolizumab, or nivolumab plus ipilimumab); BRAF-targeted therapy at progression. (Pembrolizumab, Nivolumab, Ipilimumab, KEYNOTE-177, CheckMate 8HW)
- Metastatic, previously treated: Encorafenib plus cetuximab (BEACON CRC) if not already given; then trifluridine-tipiracil with bevacizumab, fruquintinib or regorafenib. (BEACON CRC, Encorafenib, Cetuximab, Trifluridine/tipiracil, Fruquintinib, Regorafenib)
From the standard of care recorded for this cancer; which apply depends on your stage and biomarkers. Ask which the team recommends and why.