Key clinical point: Meta-analysis confirms the detrimental effect of KRAS and BRAF mutations on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with stage II/III colon cancer, with the effect being enhanced by adjustment for microsatellite instability (MSI).
Major finding: KRAS mutations significantly deteriorated both DFS (pooled hazard ratio [pHR], 1.36; P less than .001) and OS (pHR, 1.27; P = .03), whereas BRAF mutations significantly deteriorated only OS (pHR, 1.49; P < .001), but not DFS. Adjustment for MSI enhanced the effect of KRAS (pHR DFS, 1.43; P = .001; pHR OS, 1.33; P = .03) and BRAF (pHR DFS, 1.59; P = .001; pHR OS, 1.67; P less than .001) mutations.
Study details: This was a meta-analysis of 9 phase 3 adjuvant trials including 10,893 patients with stage II/III colon cancer.
Disclosures: No specific funding was declared. Some of the authors including the lead author declared receiving research funding and personal fees from and/or consulting or advisory role for various sources.
Source: Formica V et al. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2021 Sep 20. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djab190 .