Genetic Profiling and Survival Outcomes in Romanian Colorectal Cancer Patients.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genetics
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a globally prevalent malignancy, ranking third in incidence and second in mortality.
• KRAS and BRAF mutations are critical biomarkers in CRC, influencing treatment decisions and patient outcomes.
• Personalized medicine approaches increasingly rely on understanding these genetic alterations in CRC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the impact of KRAS and BRAF mutations on survival and mortality in colorectal cancer patients.
• To compare outcomes between patients with mutant versus wild-type KRAS/BRAF genes.
• To evaluate the prognostic significance of specific mutations (KRAS vs. BRAF) in CRC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study of 118 colorectal cancer patients (2018-2022).
• Data collected from Oradea County Emergency Clinical Hospital and Pelican Oradea Hospital.
• Genetic testing for KRAS/BRAF mutations, with patients grouped by mutation status.

Main Results:

• One-year survival: 84.74% (mutant) vs. 67.96% (wild-type).
• Five-year survival showed no significant difference (33.54% mutant vs. 25.93% wild-type).
• BRAF mutation associated with significantly worse prognosis (8.3 months survival) compared to KRAS (38.6 months survival) and higher mortality (100% for BRAF vs. 44.89% for KRAS).

Conclusions:

• No significant difference in overall survival between mutant and wild-type groups, but higher survival observed in the mutant group.
• Wild-type tumors had a higher mortality rate in the first year post-diagnosis.
• BRAF mutations confer a significantly worse prognosis than KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer.