Switch in KRAS mutational status during an unusual course of disease in a patient with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma: implications for translational research.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Despite the introduction of novel effective treatment regimens like gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel and FOLFIRINOX, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains one of the most aggressive epithelial tumors. Among the genetic alterations frequently found in PDAC, mutations in the KRAS gene might play a prognostic role regarding overall survival and may also have the potential to predict the efficacy of anti-EGFR treatment.

CASE PRESENTATION:

We report the clinical case of a 69 year old Caucasian female that was diagnosed with histologically confirmed locally advanced PDAC with lymph node involvement in August 2010. At the time of first diagnosis, tumor tissue obtained from an open regional lymph node biopsy showed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma with a wild type sequence within exon 2 (codon 12/13) of the KRAS gene. The patient initially received single-agent gemcitabine and a subsequent 5-FU-based chemoradiotherapy with a sequential maintenance chemotherapy with oral capecitabine resulting in a long term disease control. Local disease progression occurred in May 2014 and the patient underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy in September 2014. A novel KRAS gene mutation (c.35G > T, p.G12 V) in exon 2 (codon 12) was detected within the surgical specimen. As of January 2016 the patient is still alive and without evidence of the underlying disease.

CONCLUSIONS:

Specifically in the context of clinical trials and translational research in PDAC a re-assessment of molecular biomarkers, i. e. KRAS, at defined time points (e. g. relapse, disease progression, unusual clinical course) may be indicated in order to detect a potential switch in biomarker status during the course of disease.

• Authors: Sibylle Baechmann, Steffen Ormanns, Michael Haas, Stephan Kruger, Anna Remold, Dominik Paul Modest, Thomas Kirchner, Andreas Jung, Jens Werner, Volker Heinemann, Stefan Boeck
• Journal: BMC cancer (BMC Cancer) Vol. 17 Issue 1 Pg. 374 (05 26 2017) ISSN: 1471-2407 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 28549417 (Publication Type: Case Reports, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• KRAS protein, human
• Deoxycytidine
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)
• Fluorouracil
• Gemcitabine

Topics

• Aged
• Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal (genetics, pathology, therapy)
• Chemoradiotherapy (methods)
• Deoxycytidine (analogs & derivatives, therapeutic use)
• Female
• Fluorouracil (therapeutic use)
• Humans
• Mutation
• Neoplasm Recurrence, Local (genetics, pathology, therapy)
• Pancreatic Neoplasms (genetics, pathology, therapy)
• Pancreaticoduodenectomy
• Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras) (genetics)
• Translational Research, Biomedical
• Gemcitabine
• Pancreatic Neoplasms