ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To detect K-ras gene mutations in plasma free DNA by peptide nucleic acid clamp PCR assay (PNA-PCR) and nested primer PCR, and to analyze the correlation between K-ras mutations and prognosis in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Peripheral blood was collected and free DNA was extracted from plasma in 106 patients with mCRC. Nested primer PCR and PNA-PCR were used to detect K-ras gene mutation in the plasma free DNA. The patients were divided into three groups by K-ras status: wild-type group (wild-type determined by both methods), low mutation group (mutation by PNA-PCR method, wild-type by nested primer PCR method) and high mutation group (mutation by two methods). The correlation between K-ras mutations and prognosis was analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mutation rate of K-ras in tumor tissues of the 106 patients was 40.6%. The Mutation rate of K-ras in plasma free DNA detected by PNA-PCR was 31.1%, significantly higher than that of 15.1% detected by nested primer PCR (P = 0.006). The consistent rate of the K-ras status in plasma free DNA detected by PNA-PCR and that in tumor tissue detected by traditional method was up to 83.0%. The median overall survival (OS) of patients of the wild type, low mutation and high mutation groups was 23.5 months, 17.3 months and 13.9 months, respectively (P = 0.002). The median progression-free survival (PFS) of the K-ras wild-type, low mutation and high mutation groups with first-line chemotherapy was 6.8 months, 6.1 months and 3.2 months, respectively (P = 0.002), and the median OS of them were 23.0 months, 15.5 months and 13.9 months, respectively (P = 0.036). The overall response rate (ORR) was improved in the K-ras wide-type patients who received cetuximab combined with chemotherapy as first-line therapy (75.0% vs. 23.4%, P = 0.058). Cetuximab combined with in second-line therapy chemotherapy led to a significant improvement in disease control rate (DCR) ( 100% vs. 35.7%, P < 0.001) as compared with those of chemotherapy alone. COX regression model showed that K-ras status detected by PNA-PCR, ECOG PS, number of surgery and initially metastatic site were independent factors for prognosis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PNA-PCR for the detection of K-ras mutation in plasma free DNA can be used to substitute the traditional method for detection of K-ras mutation in tumor tissues. The abundance of K-ras mutation in plasma free DNA is an independent prognostic factor for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.</p>