Analysis of therapeutic effect and prognosis in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and different K-ras status

Objective: To evaluate the correlation of clinical effect and prognosis between patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) and different K-ras status.

Methods: The clinical characteristics, chemotherapeutic regimens and survival of 153 mCRC patients with different K-ras status were analyzed retrospectively.

Results: The median overall survival (OS) in patients without K-ras mutation were 31.7 months, significantly longer than 21.3 months in the patients with K-ras mutation (P = 0.037). The median progression-free survival (PFS) and OS in patients who received chemotherapy followed by anti-EGFR antibody treatment were 11.5 and 39.3 months, respectively, significantly longer as compared with the PFS and OS in those received chemotherapy in combination with anti-EGFR antibody concomitantly (5.7, P = 0.02, and 28.7 months, P = 0.034, respectively).

Conclusions: K-ras status is a prognostic biomarker for mCRC patients treated with anti-EGFR antibody. The combination settings of anti-EGFR in combination with chemotherapy may improve survival of mCRC patients with wild-type K-ras status.