Clinical relevance of the K-ras oncogene in colorectal cancer: Experience in a Mexican population

Abstract

Background: Colorectal cancer is frequent in the developed countries, with a cancer-specific mortality rate of 33%. Different biomarkers are associated with overall survival and the prediction of monoclonal treatment effectiveness. The presence of mutations in the K-ras oncogene alters the response to target therapy with cetuximab and could be an independent prognostic factor. Aims: To analyze the difference in survival between patients with mutated K-ras and those with K-ras wild-type status. Methods: Thirty-one clinical records were retrospectively analyzed of patients presenting with colorectal cancer that underwent K-ras sequencing through real-time polymerase chain reaction within the time frame of 2009 to 2012 at the Hospital de Alta Especialidad de Veracruz of the Instituto para la Salud y Seguridad Social de los Trabajadores del Estado (HAEV-ISSSTE). Survival analysis for patients with and without K-ras mutation was performed using the Kaplan Meier method. Contrast of covariates was performed using logarithmic transformations. Results: No statistically significant difference was found in relation to survival in the patients with mutated K-ras vs. those with K-ras wild-type (P = .416), nor were significant differences found when analyzing the covariants and survival in the patients with mutated K-ras: ECOG scale (P = .221); age (less than, equal to or greater than 65 years, P = .441); clinical stage according to the AJCC (P = .057), and primary lesion site (P = .614).ଝ Please cite this article as: Cabrera-Mendoza F, Gainza-Lagunes S, Castañeda-Andrade I, Castro-Zárate A. Relevancia clínica del oncogén K-ras en cáncer de colon, experiencia en una población mexicana. Revista de Gastroenterología de México. 2014;79:166---170.

Histology and its prognostic effect on KRAS‑mutated colorectal carcinomas in Korea

“…However, the present results are in accordance with those obtained by certain other studies in East Asian countries, which indicated an association between KRAS mutation and a lower OS rate (32,47). By contrast, KRAS was not associated with prognosis in most studies from in Southwest Asia and South America (34,(50)(51)(52). However, in Caucasians, the results were controversial.…”