Prognostic evaluation of KRAS and BRAF mutations in relation to Mismatch Repair protein status: preliminary survival analysis of patients with Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Aims: prognostic impact of mutations in BRAF and KRAS genes in patients with colorectal cancer was evaluated to detect variations in survival among patients with these mutations, in relation to different morphologic features identified at diagnosis and the expression of mismatch repair proteins. The final purpose of the project will be to establish models to predict variations in survival in different subsets of patients with colorectal cancer. Materials and Methods: partial survival analyses were conducted on 32 subjects in relation to three different variables: mutation in BRAF or KRAS genes, expression of mismatch repair system and morphological features of the tumor. Results: preliminary results of this study provide evidence that survival in different subsets of patients with colorectal cancer can be influenced by several factors, which include, in addition to immunohistochemical and molecular investigations, the assessment of different morphological features. Conclusions: Integrating different characteristics may reveal which factors have a more significant impact on survival in these subgroups. More patients will be needed to design different survival models and to check these preliminary results more effectively.