Multidrug resistance in the standardized treatment of colon cancer harboring a rare fibrosarcoma B-type (BRAF) p.N581I mutation: a case report

Front Oncol. 2023 Jul 14:13:1175693. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1175693. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

BRAF non-V600 mutations are a distinct molecular subset of colorectal cancer (CRC) that has little to no clinical similarity to the BRAF V600 mutations. It is generally considered that the BRAF non-V600 mutations correlate with better survival of CRC patients. In this report, we present an unusual case of that a midlife female patient who was initially diagnosed with stage IIIC colon cancer, and multiple metastases were found 25 months after radical surgery. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) revealed the BRAF p.N581I (c.1742A>T) mutation. She received chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. However, the disease progressed rapidly with rare metastasis of the bone and cerebellum. This case highlights that the BRAF non-V600 mutations, such as BRAF p.N581I mutant, may lead to resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors and result in a rapid course in colorectal cancer. The role of BRAF p.N581I mutation in colorectal cancer demands more attention.

Keywords: BRAF p.N581I; anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody; colorectal cancer metastasis; immunotherapy; multidrug resistance; targeted therapy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

Grants and funding

This study was funded by grants from Suzhou Municipal Science and Technology Bureau (Grant numbers SKY2022006, SLJ202011, and SLT201959), Jiangsu Commission of Health (Grant Number M2020043), and China Digestive Tumor Clinical Research Public Welfare Project (Grant Number P014-038).