Vemurafenib and panitumumab combination tailored therapy in BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer

As the knowledge on cancer genetic alterations progresses, it fosters the need for more personalized therapeutic intervention in modern cancer management. Recently, mutations in KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA genes have emerged as important mechanisms of resistance to EGFR-targeted therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Here we report the first case of a mCRC patient whose disease had progressed on standard lines of treatment and for which we devised a personalized therapeutic approach consisting of vemurafenib (Zelboraf) and panitumumab (Vectibix), based on the following molecular profile: BRAF(V600E)-mutant, amplified EGFR (double positive) and WT KRAS, WT PIK3CA, not-amplified HER2 (triple negative). This new combination therapy was well tolerated and resulted in a strong control of the disease. In particular, the vemurafenib-panitumumab combination appears to limit the typical toxicity of single agents, since no cutaneous toxic effects typically associated with vemurafenib were observed. Here we report the first clinical evidence that the combination of an anti-EGFR (panitumumab) and an inhibitor of BRAF(V600E) (vemurafenib) is well tolerated and results in a strong disease control in an extensively pretreated mCRC patient.