Colorectal cancer – also known as bowel cancer – is one of the most common forms of cancer worldwide! Recent studies show that Braftovi Mektovi colorectal cancer treatments may help relieve this disease.
How Common is Colorectal Cancer?
– It is the 2nd most prevalent form of cancer in women worldwide
– It is the 3rd most prevalent form of cancer in men worldwide
– It is a leading cause of death caused by cancer
– There were 1.4 million diagnoses of the disease in 2012
– Approximately 694,000 deaths were caused by this disease in 2012
How Does Colorectal Cancer Develop?
The disease develops because of mutations in genes, specifically in genes responsible for suppressing the growth of tumors. This means the mutations prevent the body from protecting itself from the growth of tumors.
These changes occur in cells called ‘epithelial cells’, which make up the inside of the intestine. The mutations allow tumorous cells to grow freely and thrive within the body, eventually leading to the development of a cancerous growth.
How is Colorectal Cancer Currently Treated?
Colorectal cancer is typically treated using surgery. This has disadvantages because many patients are diagnosed with serious forms of the disease, which cannot be effectively targeted by surgery.
There is an important need for combined treatment options that could potentially overcome the disadvantages of surgery. One of these options is the Braftovi Mektovi treatment.
What are Braftovi Mektovi Colorectal Cancer Treatments?
– This treatment option was discovered by U.S. biotech firm Array BioPharma, followed by an FDA-approved test.
– It is meant to be offered to patients if one or two alternative treatment options fail to successfully treat the disease.
– It involves the combined use of encorafenib (Braftovi), binimetinib (Mektovi), and () and targets a population of those suffering from the disease who also have a mutation called the ‘BRAFV600E-mutation’.
What is the Relevance of the BRAFV600E-mutation?
Patients who have colorectal cancer who also have this mutation have twice the risk of death than patients without the mutation. It occurs in 10% to 15% of people suffering from this disease. Therefore, it is really important to consider options for this group of people.
The ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ Designation from the FDA
The FDA recently granted the designation of ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ to Braftovi Mektovi colorectal cancer treatments. This allows Array BioPharma to speed up the process of developing and reviewing combined drug treatment options for this disease.
This designation was granted after special consideration of clinical evidence that showed that these treatment options could work substantially better than currently available treatment options.
The Chief Medical Officer at Array BioPharma Victor Sander shared his delight that the potential of this new combined treatment has been recognized by the FDA, especially given the absence of specified treatment for patients suffering from a BRAF mutation.
Conclusion
The Braftovi Mektovi treatment option and the ‘Breakthrough Therapy’ designation from the FDA are such important developments for patients with the mutation. This is especially significant because there are no presently available treatment options that are specifically approved for them!
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