Reevaluating the prognostic role of BRAF mutation in colorectal cancer liver metastases

Mutations in the BRAF proto-oncogene have been shown to predict poor patient survival following curative-intent liver surgery for metastatic colorectal cancer. The aim of the present systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the effect of mutated BRAF status (mutBRAF) on the overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in these patients.A comprehensive literature search was performed for studies reporting outcomes of patients undergoing curative-intent surgery stratified by BRAF mutation status. Subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate whether inclusion of KRAS mutation status significantly influenced the results.Six studies incorporating 1857 patients with known BRAF status were identified. Pooled results revealed significantly worse OS (Hazard Ratio 2.8, 95% C.I. 2.09 to 3.77) and DFS (Hazard Ratio 2.29, 95% C.I. 2.09 to 3.77) in mutBRAF patients. Subgroup analysis revealed no statistically significant impact of including KRAS status testing on the obtained results.Patients with metastatic colorectal cancer carrying BRAF mutations have significantly worse oncologic outcomes following surgery and more aggressive disease phenotype overall.