title: Prognostic significance of KRAS gene mutations in colorectal cancer--preliminary study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prognostic significance of KRAS gene mutations, evaluated by using two methods in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study involving 58 patients diagnosed with CRC and treated between 2003 and 2010 in the General and Esophageal Surgery Clinic of "Sf. Maria" Hospital, Bucharest. The macroscopic and microscopic examination of the resected specimens was also processed for genetic analysis in NIRDPBS, where KRAS status was determined by using two methods: PCR-RFLP and pyrosequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The clinical and biological parameters of the patients were assessed for 72 months in average. A relapse in 21 patients and a 5-year survival rate of 79.3% was discovered. The genetic analyses of KRAS gene found mutations in 22 cases (45.3%): 17 cases had mutations in codon 12, 5 cases in codon 13. The survival rate analyses of patients with wild KRAS gene compared with the patients carrying the mutation on codon 12 /13 revealed a superposition of the survival curve. The statistical analysis based on the TNM stage revealed different survival curves in stage I and II, shorter survival period in patients with KRAS mutation on codon 13 than in those with wild type gene (stage I--p_value=0.015; stage II--p_value=0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It was not found that KRAS gene status had any prognostic significance. Nevertheless, for stage I and II patients, the mutation found on codon 13 determined a statistic significant shorter survival rate than for those with wild type. The results obtained by using the pyrosequencing method for the determination of KRAS gene status proved that it represented a reliable and reproducible method.
authors.affiliation: General and Oesophagial Surgical Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy; "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dinu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, "Victor Babes" National Institute for Research and Development in Pathology and Biomedical Sciences, Bucharest, Romania ; University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dobre
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Panaitescu
authors.affiliation: General and Oesophagial Surgical Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy; "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bîrlă
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Iosif
authors.affiliation: General and Oesophagial Surgical Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy; "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hoara
authors.affiliation: General and Oesophagial Surgical Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy; "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caragui
authors.affiliation: General and Oesophagial Surgical Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy; "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boeriu
authors.affiliation: General and Oesophagial Surgical Department, "Carol Davila" University of Medicine and Pharmacy; "Sf. Maria" Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Constantinoiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, "Victor Babes" National Institute for Research and Development in Pathology and Biomedical Sciences, Bucharest, Romania.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ardeleanu
mesh_terms: D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D006801:Humans; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D015996:Survival Rate; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D003062:Codon; C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins
keywords: KRAS gene mutation; colorectal cancer; pyrosequencing