The Importance of KRAS Quantification for a Clinicopathological Characterization in Colorectal Cancer Patients

Abstract

KRAS, a protein whose name stands for Kirsten rat sarcoma, is of practice important nowadays due to its implications in tumorigenesis and metastatic potential. In this paper, the levels of KRAS in colorectal cancer patients have been determined by using a stochastic method and the results have been searched for correlation with clinicopathological features. Patients with their clinical and pathological features were selected from the database of the project GRAPHSENSGASTROINTES, and used accordingly with the Ethics committee approval nr. 32647/2018 awarded by the County Emergency Hospital from Targu-Mures. There have been analysed 4 kinds of samples (whole blood, saliva, urine and tissue) by using a stochastic method with stochastic microsensors as screening tools. The results, consisting in levels of KRAS in all the four biological fluids (whole blood, saliva, urine and tissue), have been correlated with a large series of pathological features such as tumor location among the colon, the tumor dimensions and infiltration depth, gross appearance, budding, stroma features and blood vessels, lymphatic vessels and perineural invasion. By using KRAS levels in all the four biological fluids, the correlations with clinicopathological features can be extremely useful for the oncologist and the surgeon for a better management of patients. These results are not only extremely valuable, but they can also be obtained in just a couple hours, with a low cost and high accuracy.