KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA exon 20, and BRAF genotypes in synchronous and metachronous primary colorectal cancers diagnostic and therapeutic implications

J Mol Diagn. 2011 Jul;13(4):436-45. doi: 10.1016/j.jmoldx.2011.03.002. Epub 2011 May 4.

Abstract

Targeted therapy of advanced colorectal carcinoma (CRC) necessitates KRAS genotyping. Because we were interested in diagnostic and therapeutic consequences, we studied the KRAS, NRAS, PIK3CA exon 20, and BRAF genotypes in synchronous and metachronous primary CRCs; in addition, we studied their available metastases. We studied 21 patients with 43 synchronous and 2 metachronous adenocarcinomas of the colorectum (n = 20) and stomach (n = 1). Five patients had liver metastases and one had a distant lymph node metastasis. Genomic DNA was extracted from microdissected tumor tissue. The DNA was analyzed by Sanger sequencing and pyrosequencing. Fifty-seven different neoplastic lesions were genotyped, showing 18 (31.6%) KRAS, 2 (3.5%) NRAS, and 7 (12.3%) BRAF mutations, distributed among 10 (47.6%), 1 (4.8%), and 5 (23.8%) of the patients. An identical genotype of all synchronous primary CRCs was found only in 7 (35%) of the patients; the remainder had dissimilar genotypes in various combinations. Interestingly, a single patient had an unknown KRAS genotype (c.37_39dupGGC). Six patients with 13 primary carcinomas had distant metastases. In three of these patients, the metastasis shared the genotype only with one of the primary tumors, because the other primary tumors had another genotype. Synchronous and metachronous primary CRCs of the same patient have variable KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF genotypes. When metastases occur in these patients, the genotype has diagnostic and therapeutic implications and should be determined from the simultaneous or metachronous distant metastases.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis
  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics*
  • Adenocarcinoma / mortality
  • Adenocarcinoma / therapy
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / genetics*
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / mortality
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / therapy
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • Exons
  • Female
  • Genome-Wide Association Study
  • Genotype
  • Humans
  • Liver Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Liver Neoplasms / genetics
  • Liver Neoplasms / secondary
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / diagnosis
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / genetics*
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / mortality
  • Neoplasms, Multiple Primary / therapy
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) / genetics*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Stomach Neoplasms / genetics
  • Stomach Neoplasms / pathology
  • Survival Analysis
  • Young Adult

Substances

  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • PIK3CA protein, human
  • BRAF protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)