hydroxychloroquine + encorafenib + cetuximab

A combination therapy regimen being investigated in a Phase II clinical trial at Northwestern University's Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center for the treatment of metastatic BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer. The regimen consists of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial agent repurposed as an autophagy inhibitor, administered alongside the BRAF inhibitor encorafenib and the EGFR inhibitor cetuximab (or panitumumab). The therapeutic rationale is based on the observation that BRAF inhibition triggers autophagy as a cytoprotective resistance mechanism in colorectal cancer cells. By inhibiting lysosomal acidification and subsequent autophagy with hydroxychloroquine, the regimen aims to enhance the efficacy of MAPK pathway inhibition and overcome acquired resistance in patients who have progressed on prior standard-of-care therapies.

Brand names

PlaquenilBraftoviErbituxVectibix

Other names

HCQhydroxychloroquine sulfate