title: Detection of KRAS mutations and their associations with clinicopathological features and survival in Chinese colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mutation of the KRAS (v-Kiras2 Kirsten rat sarcoma viral oncogene homologue) gene plays an important role in colorectal tumorigenesis. This study examined associations between KRAS gene mutations and clinicopathological and survival data in Chinese patients  with colorectal cancer (CRC).
  
  
  METHODS
  CRC patients were recruited for the detection of KRAS gene mutations using polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing. Data on clinicopathological features and survival times were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study included 78 CRC patients. The overall  mutation frequency of the KRAS gene at codons 12 and 13 was 33.3% (26/78). KRAS gene mutations were significantly associated with poor tumour differentiation and liver metastasis. Patients with the wild-type KRAS gene had significantly higher median survival times than  patients with KRAS gene mutations (35.05 months versus 25.72 months). Those with KRAS gene mutations at codons 12 or 13 did not have significantly different median survival times (25.69 months versus 20.67 months, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that a high  frequency of KRAS gene mutations exists in Chinese patients with CRC, and that such mutations are associated with poor survival, tumour differentiation and liver metastasis in CRC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Suo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D001483:Base Sequence; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009154:Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins