KRAS-mutation status and its association with clinicopathological features in Vietnamese patients with non-polyp colon cancer

Abstract

Background: Mutations of KRAS gene are common in cancers; they are detected at a very high rate in colon cancer (CC) and considered the negative factor of the disease. CC is among deadliest cancers in Vietnam, and KRAS status for non-polyp colon cancer (NPCC) was rarely reported from the country. We, in this study, aim to determine KRAS mutations and associations of mutation status with clinicopathological features in Vietnamese NPCC patients. Methods: Patients with NPCC (stages II or III) and without historical or current polyp appearance were included. Genomic DNA samples were prepared from dissected tumors and specific sequences of KRAS gene were amplified by PCR. The mutations at codons 12, 13, 59, 60, 61, 117 and 146 of the gene were determined by using a commercial kit. Possible associations of the KRAS mutation with clinicopathological properties were analyzed by using SPSS and GraphPad Prism. Key findings: KRAS mutation rate was 47.9% in NPCC patients; mutations in exon 2 accounted for 91.4% of all detected mutations. Moreover, the KRAS mutation rate was higher in females (57.1%) than in males (39.8%).