BRAF is one of the most frequently mutated oncogenes, with an overall frequency of about 50%. Targeting BRAF and its effector mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1/2 (MEK1/2) is now a key therapeutic strategy for BRAF-mutant tumors, and therapies based on dual BRAF/MEK inhibition showed significant efficacy in a broad spectrum of BRAF tumors. Nonetheless, BRAF/MEK inhibition therapy is not always effective for BRAF tumor suppression, and significant challenges remain to improve its clinical outcomes. First, certain BRAF tumors have an intrinsic ability to rapidly adapt to the presence of BRAF and MEK1/2 inhibitors by bypassing drug effects via rewired signaling, metabolic, and regulatory networks. Second, almost all tumors initially responsive to BRAF and MEK1/2 inhibitors eventually acquire therapy resistance via an additional genetic or epigenetic alteration(s). Overcoming these challenges requires identifying the molecular mechanism underlying tumor cell resistance to BRAF and MEK inhibitors and analyzing their specificity in different BRAF tumors. This review aims to update this information.
Keywords: BRAF; MEK; drug resistance; tumor.