KRAS Mutation Analysis For Predicting Therapeutic Response In Colorectal And Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Main Category: Colorectal Cancer
Also Included In: Lung Cancer;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 12 May 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Exiqon Diagnostics announced that it now offers KRAS Mutation Analysis through its CLIA laboratory in California. Cancer treating physicians now have access to this critical test for their advanced stage colorectal and non-small cell lung cancer patients who are candidates for anti-EGFR therapy. In the United States, there are approximately 150,000 new colorectal cancer cases and over 200,000 lung cancer cases diagnosed each year.1) Many of these patients may present with advanced disease. In those cases, confirmed KRAS mutation status is important information for physicians to have when deciding on a treatment regimen that may contain EGFR-targeted therapies. Published clinical studies demonstrate that KRAS gene mutations are associated with poor prognosis and lack of response to EGFR inhibitor therapies.

Recent studies strongly correlate the presence of KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer patients with lack of response to cetuximab and panitumumab, shorter progression-free survival (PFS) and shorter overall survival. Studies performed in NSCLC have shown that mutations in the KRAS gene are strongly predictive of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as gefitinib and eroltinib.

KRAS mutation testing is recommended by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) before starting EGFR-targeted therapy in both metastatic colorectal cancer and advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.2,3). The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) favors routine KRAS mutation testing for patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer before initiating anti-EGFR therapies.

"The ability to determine patient response to a particular therapy before it is administered is critical to prioritizing from an ever increasing list of potential treatment options", said Doug Harrington, M.D., Medical Director, Exiqon Diagnostics. "KRAS Mutation Analysis is an important new diagnostic that is now available to help physicians stratify their advanced stage colorectal or non-small cell cancer patients as appropriate candidates for treatment with EGFR inhibitors. Those patients who have the mutation would most likely not respond to anti-EGFR drugs and should not be treated with those ineffective and expensive agents."

KRAS Mutation Analysis is a welcome addition to the growing molecular diagnostics test menu available at Exiqon Diagnostics. Additional targeted molecular profiling assays are currently in development and will be launched later this year to help physicians more effectively guide treatment decisions. KRAS testing is just one of the many molecular biomarkers that will be available to help physicians personalize therapeutic treatment plans.

References

1. American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2008
2. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ Colon cancer. v 2.2009.
Available at: http://www.nccn.org
3. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology™ Non-small cell lung cancer. v
2.2009. Available at: http://www.nccn.org

Source
Exiqon Diagnostics