PanARMENIAN.Net - Chemotherapy treatment for people who have advanced bowel cancer and a particular genetic mutation is commonly ineffective. A combination of three different drugs could be the key to improved treatment, Medical News Today says.
The outlook for people with standard bowel cancer — also known as colorectal cancer — and those with an advanced form of the disease can differ greatly.
While more than half of the former tend to survive bowel cancer for 10 or more years, the outlook for the latter can be just a few months if the cancer involves a specific gene mutation.
The BRAF gene is responsible for producing a protein that transmits signals and supports cell growth. But a particular change to this gene — the BRAF V600E mutation — can speed up the spread and growth of certain cancer cells.
Up to 15% of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients have the BRAF V600E mutation. Treating this form of cancer is difficult as it can be aggressive and tends not to respond to combination treatments involving chemotherapy.
Now a new study has tested a combination of targeted therapies without the chemotherapy. Researchers call this the BEACON CRC Phase III trial.
Their study appears in the Annals of Oncology and featured at the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer 2019.
A mixture of three drugs — two targeting the cancer cells and one inhibiting the BRAF gene — was analyzed on a number of individuals who...