KRAS-variant

Helps guide cancer prevention and treatment strategies.

KRAS-variant Testing

The KRAS-variant represents a novel inherited genetic mirSNP with important implications for personalized cancer risk management and care. Detecting the presence of this variant in patients can help assess cancer risk, inform the development of prevention strategies, and guide treatment decisions.

Preventative Strategies

Women with the KRAS-variant who are undergoing menopause or have had an oophorectomy are at an increased risk of developing certain cancers. Estrogen plays a protective role against cancer in individuals with the KRAS-variant¹; therefore, knowing a patient's KRAS-variant status enables informed decisions regarding estrogen replacement therapy, which may help reduce the risk of certain cancers.

Personal History and Cancer Risk

Women with a first cancer diagnosis with the KRAS-variant are at an increased risk of developing an independent second cancer.² Identifying the presence of the KRAS-variant in your patients can help inform decisions regarding the most appropriate screening and management strategies to minimize this second cancer risk.

Family History and Cancer Risk

Women with a family history of breast, ovarian, or lung cancer may benefit from assessing KRAS-variant status, as it can provide important insights into potential cancer risk. The KRAS-variant is about 20 times more common than BRCA mutations.^3,4 Therefore, in patients who test negative for BRCA mutations, the KRAS-variant could explain their familial predisposition to breast and/or ovarian cancer.

Treatment Decisions

Patients with the KRAS-variant who have cancers such as breast,⁵ ovarian,^6,7 colon,^8-19 lung,^20,21 or head and neck cancer^22-24 appear to respond differently to certain treatments.^5,22 Identifying the KRAS-variant in these patients can help tailor treatment strategies that optimize their response to therapy.

If you are interested in KRAS-variant testing, please contact us.

References:

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Pilarski R, Patel DA, Weitzel J, et al. The KRAS-variant is associated with risk of developing double primary breast and ovarian cancer. PLoS One. 2012;7(5):e37891. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037891.
Larsen MJ, Thomassen M, Gerdes AM, Kruse TA. Hereditary breast cancer: clinical, pathological and molecular characteristics. Breast Cancer (Auckl). 2014;8:145-155. Published 2014 Oct 15. doi:10.4137/BCBCR.S18715
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Ratner ES, Keane FK, Lindner R, et al. A KRAS variant is a biomarker of poor outcome, platinum chemotherapy resistance and a potential target for therapy in ovarian cancer. Oncogene. 2012;31(42):4559-4566. doi:10.1038/onc.2011.539.
Caiola E, Rulli E, Fruscio R, Buda A, Broggini M, Marabese M. KRAS-LCS6 polymorphism does not impact on outcomes in ovarian cancer. Am J Cancer Res. 2012;2(3):298-308.
Graziano F, Canestrari E, Loupakis F, et al. Genetic modulation of the Let-7 microRNA binding to KRAS 3'-untranslated region and survival of metastatic colorectal cancer patients treated with salvage cetuximab-irinotecan. Pharmacogenomics J. 2010;10(5):458-464. doi:10.1038/tpj.2010.9.
Zhang W, Winder T, Ning Y, et al. A let-7 microRNA-binding site polymorphism in 3'-untranslated region of KRAS gene predicts response in wild-type KRAS patients with metastatic colorectal cancer treated with cetuximab monotherapy. Ann Oncol. 2011;22(1):104-109. doi:10.1093/annonc/mdq315.
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Sebio A, Paré L, Páez D, Salazar J, González A, Sala N, del Río E, Martín-Richard M, Tobeña M, Barnadas A, Baiget M. (2013). The LCS6 polymorphism in the binding site of let-7 microRNA to the KRAS 3'-untranslated region: its role in the efficacy of anti-EGFR-based therapy in metastatic colorectal cancer patients. Pharmacogenet Genomics. 2013 Mar;23(3):142-7. doi: 10.1097/FPC.0b013e32835d9b0b.
Sha D, Lee AM, Shi Q, Alberts SR, Sargent DJ, Sinicrope FA, Diasio RB. (2014). Association study of the let-7 miRNA-complementary site variant in the 3' untranslated region of the KRAS gene in stage III colon cancer (NCCTG N0147 Clinical Trial). Clin Cancer Res. 2014 Jun 15;20(12):3319-27. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-14-0069. Epub 2014 Apr 11.
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