NAPLEX (North American Pharmacist Licensure Examination) Practice Exam

For the treatment of melanoma, which mutation must be present to use BRAF inhibitors?

1. BCR-ABL+

2. BRAF V600E or V600K mutation +

3. EGFR mutation positive

4. ALK mutation +

The correct answer is: BRAF V600E or V600K mutation +

B is the correct answer because BRAF V600E or V600K mutation is known to be present in most melanoma cases and is the primary driver for this cancer. This specific mutation activates the BRAF pathway which leads to the growth and survival of melanoma cells. It is important to use BRAF inhibitors in patients with this mutation because it specifically targets and blocks the effects of the mutated BRAF protein. A, C, and D are all incorrect because they refer to mutations that are not related to melanoma. BCR-ABL is a mutation associated with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), EGFR is associated with lung cancer, and ALK is associated with non-small cell lung cancer. Therefore, these mutations would not be present in melanoma and using BRAF inhibitors would not be effective in treating the cancer.