The status of KRAS mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancers from mainland China

KRAS mutation is closely associated to carcinogenesis and prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Detection of KRAS mutation can also be used to select NSCLC patients for drug targeting with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Data regarding the status of KRAS mutation in mainland China, which would assist in these interventions, is lacking. We have detected KRAS mutation from 103 NSCLC patients in mainland China with high resolution melting analysis (HRM) on LightScanner™, and compared this method of detection with sequencing, and found HRM to have greater sensitivity. We found 6 patients (5.8%) with KRAS mutation (3 patients, G12C; 1 patient, G12S; 1 patient, G12V; 1 patient, G13D). KRAS mutation was significantly associated to gender (p=0.027) and pathology types (p=0.000), but not to smoking. The mutation frequency of KRAS in NSCLC patients in mainland China is similar to those in East Asian countries, but lower than those in Western countries. However, the spectrum of KRAS mutation in mainland China is similar to those found in the USA. The results also exhibit dependence of KRAS mutation in China on ethnicity. The clinical significance of the spectral pattern of KRAS mutations in TKI resistance or tumorigenesis among patients with NSCLC in mainland China requires further investigation.