title: K-RAS mutation in the screening, prognosis and treatment of cancer.
abstract: The potential use of K-RAS mutation as a cancer screening biomarker has been investigated for many years. Numerous associations between K-RAS mutation and various cancers have been established, but these associations have not been translated into effective, cost-efficient cancer screening strategies. This lack of progress may be due to the existence of K-RAS mutation in nontumor tissues and/or using detection, rather than quantitation, of K-RAS mutation as the endpoint for cancer risk categorization. K-RAS mutation appears to be a useful prognostic biomarker for colon cancer. Recent progress toward sensitive and quantitative mutation characterization and the successful use of K-RAS mutation in a personalized medicine approach to targeted biological therapy selection are likely to re-direct and expand the use of K-RAS mutation as a cancer biomarker in the near future.
authors.affiliation: US Food and Drug Administration, National Center for Toxicological Research, Division of Genetic & Reproductive Toxicology, HFT-120, 3900 NCTR Rd. Jefferson, AR 72079, USA. barbara.parsons@fda.hhs.gov
authors.forename: Barbara L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Parsons
authors.forename: Fanxue
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng