Association Between RAS/BRAF Mutations and Lower Complete Response Rates in Rectal Cancer Patients

The study aimed to assess the impact of RAS/BRAF mutations on complete response rates after total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) in advanced rectal cancer patients. Findings revealed that patients with mutant RAS/BRAF had significantly lower rates of achieving clinical and overall complete response compared to those with wild-type RAS/BRAF. However, there was no significant difference in pathological complete response rates. These results suggest that RAS/BRAF mutations negatively affect primary tumor response to TNT, emphasizing the need for larger-scale studies to determine if mutation status can guide optimal oncologic therapy selection.