{"entity":{"id":"scott-kopetz","kind":"person","name":"Scott Kopetz","aka":[],"tldr":"Led BEACON and BREAKWATER, the trials that gave BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer its first targeted therapies.","summary":"Scott Kopetz led BEACON CRC, which established encorafenib plus cetuximab for previously treated BRAF V600E colorectal cancer, and BREAKWATER, which moved the combination with chemotherapy into first line with a large survival gain. He co-developed the consensus molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer and leads ctDNA-guided adjuvant trials in the NCI cooperative groups.","asOf":"2026-09-10","links":[{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kopetz%20S%5BAuthor%5D%20BRAF%20colorectal"}],"tags":["colorectal","braf","targeted-therapy"],"related":[],"cancers":["colorectal"],"sections":[],"technologies":["kinase-inhibitors","liquid-biopsy"],"targets":["braf"],"drugs":["encorafenib"],"companies":[],"institutions":["md-anderson"],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":["breakwater"],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":["paper-breakwater-nejm-2025"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"role":"Professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, MD Anderson Cancer Center","institutionId":"md-anderson","specialisms":["BRAF-mutant colorectal cancer","Targeted therapy","Circulating tumour DNA","Consensus molecular subtypes"],"profiles":[{"label":"PubMed","url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kopetz%20S%5BAuthor%5D%20BRAF%20colorectal"}],"papers":[{"title":"Encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab in BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer (BEACON)","journal":"NEJM","year":2019,"doi":"10.1056/NEJMoa1908075"},{"title":"The consensus molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer","journal":"Nature Medicine","year":2015,"doi":"10.1038/nm.3967"},{"title":"Encorafenib, cetuximab, and chemotherapy in BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer (BREAKWATER)","journal":"NEJM","year":2025},{"title":"BREAKWATER: encorafenib plus cetuximab with chemotherapy as first treatment for BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer","journal":"New England Journal of Medicine","year":2025,"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=BREAKWATER+encorafenib+cetuximab+mFOLFOX6+colorectal"}],"orcid":"0000-0001-9647-3416"},"route":"/people/scott-kopetz/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"braf-v600e-colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"BRAF V600E-mutant colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/braf-v600e-colorectal/"},{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"}],"technology":[{"id":"liquid-biopsy","kind":"technology","name":"Liquid biopsy (ctDNA)","route":"/technologies/liquid-biopsy/"},{"id":"kinase-inhibitors","kind":"technology","name":"Small-molecule kinase inhibitors","route":"/technologies/kinase-inhibitors/"}],"target":[{"id":"braf","kind":"target","name":"BRAF","route":"/targets/braf/"}],"drug":[{"id":"encorafenib","kind":"drug","name":"Encorafenib","route":"/drugs/encorafenib/"}],"institution":[{"id":"md-anderson","kind":"institution","name":"MD Anderson Cancer Center","route":"/institutions/md-anderson/"}],"trial":[{"id":"beacon-crc","kind":"trial","name":"BEACON CRC","route":"/trials/beacon-crc/"},{"id":"breakwater","kind":"trial","name":"BREAKWATER","route":"/trials/breakwater/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-breakwater-nejm-2025","kind":"paper","name":"BREAKWATER: encorafenib plus cetuximab with chemotherapy as first treatment for BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-breakwater-nejm-2025/"},{"id":"paper-kopetz-beacon-encorafenib-braf-colorectal-nejm-2019","kind":"paper","name":"Encorafenib, binimetinib, and cetuximab in BRAF V600E-mutated colorectal cancer (BEACON CRC)","route":"/key-papers/paper-kopetz-beacon-encorafenib-braf-colorectal-nejm-2019/"},{"id":"paper-sepulveda-molecular-biomarkers-colorectal-guideline-jco-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Molecular biomarkers for the evaluation of colorectal cancer: guideline from ASCP, CAP, AMP and ASCO","route":"/key-papers/paper-sepulveda-molecular-biomarkers-colorectal-guideline-jco-2017/"},{"id":"paper-overman-checkmate-142-nivolumab-dmmr-colorectal-lancet-oncol-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Nivolumab in patients with metastatic DNA mismatch repair-deficient or microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancer (CheckMate 142)","route":"/key-papers/paper-overman-checkmate-142-nivolumab-dmmr-colorectal-lancet-oncol-2017/"},{"id":"paper-jones-non-v600-braf-colorectal-jco-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Non-V600 BRAF mutations define a clinically distinct molecular subtype of metastatic colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-jones-non-v600-braf-colorectal-jco-2017/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"colorectal-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Colorectal cancer roadmap: from the adenoma-carcinoma sequence and the first screening trials to total mesorectal excision, oxaliplatin, RAS testing, immunotherapy for mismatch repair-deficient disease, ctDNA-guided treatment and organ preservation","route":"/roadmaps/colorectal-roadmap/"}]}}