Modified PNA-PCR method: a convenient and accurate method to screen plasma KRAS mutations of cancer patients

KRAS mutations are proved to confer dramatic resistance to EGFR target therapy of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to establish a convenient and accurate method to screen plasma KRAS mutations of cancer patients since tumor specimens were not always available in clinical practice. A modified PNA-PCR method was established and evaluated in plasma of 19 pancreatic cancer patients. Our results showed that the modified PNA-PCR assay was a sensitive (87.5%, 14/16) and accurate (92.9%, 13/14) method to screen plasma KRAS mutations of pancreatic cancer patients and there was a high consistency of KRAS mutation status between plasma samples and tumor specimens. The modified protocol could not only screen plasma KRAS mutations rapidly and accurately but also had potential to quantify KRAS mutant DNA to predict treatment response of cancer patients and monitor disease progression. It's should be indicated that this modified assay was only confirmed in the pancreatic cancer patients in this study and need to be verified in other cancer patients.