Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 1, 2025

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods
07:49

Characterize Disease-related Mutants of RAF Family Kinases by Using a Set of Practical and Feasible Methods

Published on: July 17, 2019

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Concurrent NRAS-BRAF variants in metastatic colorectal cancer: a Tunisian case report

Hayet Douik1,2, Ghada Sahraoui1,3, Mohamed Jemaà2,4

  • 1Pathology Department, Salah Azaiz Institute.

Anti-Cancer Drugs
|March 7, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer requires KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF mutation testing. This study identified a rare, concomitant NRAS/BRAF mutation, challenging previous assumptions of exclusivity in colorectal cancer patients.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Targeted therapy for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) relies on identifying mutations in KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF to predict resistance to anti-EGFR treatments.
  • RAS gene mutations (KRAS/NRAS) occur in 40-60% of mCRC cases, while BRAF mutations are found in 5-10%.

Observation:

  • Historically, double mutations in RAS and BRAF were considered exceedingly rare and thus mutually exclusive in colorectal cancer.
  • This study investigated the mutation status of KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF in a cohort of 865 colorectal cancer patients.

Findings:

  • A novel concomitant NRAS/BRAF mutation was identified in the studied series of colorectal cancer patients.
  • This finding challenges the long-held assumption that RAS and BRAF mutations are exclusive in colorectal cancer.

Implications:

  • The discovery of concomitant NRAS/BRAF mutations necessitates a re-evaluation of current diagnostic strategies for metastatic colorectal cancer.
  • Accurate identification of these co-occurring mutations may refine patient selection for targeted therapies and improve treatment outcomes.

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