Journal of North Khorasan

Background & Objectives:  Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common malignancies in the world with a high mortality rate. Among all of the genes that are involved in colorectal cancer, KRAS gene has a high diagnostic importance. This gene is mutated in early stages of colorectal cancer. Most of KRAS effective mutations are observed in codons 12 and 13. Therefore, detection of KRAS gene mutations (codon 12 or 13 or both codons) in patients with colorectal cancer is important for the treatment protocol of choice.

Material & Methods: DNA was extracted from the tissue and serum samples of 35 patients with colorectal cancer who had inclusion criteria. The primer of KRAS codons 12 and 13 were designed and synthesized. qPCR technique was used to determine the location and type of KRAS gene mutations. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 20 software and P-value less than 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: Statistical analysis have shown that the incidence of mutations in genes KRAS was 37.1%. The mutations in codons 12 and 13 were 69.2% and 30.8%, respectively. The possibility of KRAS mutations in colorectal cancer patients with high grade was 1.14 times greater than the cases with low grade.

Conclusion: KRAS mutation analysis is a diagnostic tool for cancer with a remarkable prognostic result. Regarding the age of outbreak in Iran, screening and prevention programs and providing effective treatment protocols are very important.