KRAS mutation allele frequency threshold alters prognosis in right-sided resected pancreatic cancer

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides information on genetic mutations and mutant allele frequency in tumor specimens. We investigated the prognostic significance of KRAS mutant allele frequency in patients with right-sided pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) treated with surgical resection.

A retrospective study reviewed patients who underwent surgical resection for PDAC and analyzed tumors with an in-house mutational panel. Microdissected samples were studied using an NGS-based assay to detect over 200 hotspot mutations in 42 genes (Pan42) commonly involved in PDAC.

A total of 144 PDAC right-sided surgical patients with a Pan42 panel were evaluated between 2015 and 2020; 121 patients (84%) harbored a KRAS mutation. Detected mutant allele frequencies were categorized as less than 20% (low mKRAS, n = 92) or greater than or equal to 20% (high mKRAS, n = 29). High mKRAS (KRAS ≥ 20%) patients were noted to have shorter disease-free survival after surgery (11.5 ± 2.1 vs. 19.5 ± 3.5 months, p = 0.03), more advanced tumor stage (p = 0.02), larger tumors (3.6 vs. 2.7 cm, p = 0.001), greater tumor cellularity (26% vs. 18%, p = 0.001), and higher rate of distant recurrence (p = 0.03) than low mKRAS patients.

This study demonstrates the importance of KRAS mutant allele frequency on pathological characteristics and prognosis in right-sided PDAC treated with surgery.