Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40596921›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2025

Elevated KRAS protein level is associated with better survival in pancreatic cancer.

S M Stålberg, L Silwal-Pandit, J Hamfjord, D J H Nebdal, J Lehtiö, O C Lingjærde, B S Skålhegg, E H Kure

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Article in BMC cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

S M StålbergDepartment of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, OUS, Oslo, Norway. s.m.stalberg@gmail.com.
L Silwal-PanditDepartment of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, OUS, Oslo, Norway.
J HamfjordDepartment of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, OUS, Oslo, Norway.
D J H NebdalDepartment of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, OUS, Oslo, Norway.
J LehtiöDepartment of Oncology-Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
O C LingjærdeDepartment of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, OUS, Oslo, Norway.
B S SkålheggDivision for Molecular Nutrition, Institute for Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
E H KureDepartment of Cancer Genetics, Institute for Cancer Research, OUS, Oslo, Norway.

Funding

South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authorities 2018088The Norwegian Cancer Society, KNEP 711177-212734
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundActivating somatic KRAS mutations in hotspot loci occur almost universally (> 95%) in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Both the presence of a KRAS mutation and high mRNA expression levels of KRAS in tumor tissue have been associated with worse outcome. Less is known about the expression of KRAS at the protein level and its association with clinical and molecular parameters. In the present study, we investigated the prognostic significance of the KRAS protein level and its relation to KRAS mutation status and the mRNA expression level.

methodsA total of 41 PDAC tumors were screened for seven KRAS mutations (p.G12D, p.G12V, p.G12R, p.G12C, p.G12S, p.G13D, p.G12A) by the Wobble-enhanced ARMS method. Whole transcriptome and proteome profiles were obtained using mRNA microarrays (Agilent) and quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics (HiRIEF LC-MS/MS), respectively. The clinical outcome was overall survival (OS).

resultsKRAS mutations were identified in 88% of the tumors with p.G12D and p.G12V mutations being the most frequent. Tumors with p.G12V mutation had significantly higher KRAS mRNA expression than tumors with p.G12D, p.G12C, p.G12R or no mutation identified (P < 0.01). KRAS protein levels did not associate significantly to neither KRAS mRNA levels (Spearman's rho = 0.18, P = 0.28) nor type of KRAS mutation. High KRAS protein level and mutation p.G12V were found to be significantly associated with better (P < 0.01) and worse OS (P < 0.05), respectively.

conclusionsThe KRAS protein level correlated poorly with KRAS mRNA expression level and was not significantly associated with the type of mutation present. Interestingly, we found that patients with high KRAS protein level in their tumors had a better clinical outcome.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Pancreatic DuctalPancreatic NeoplasmsProto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkers, TumorFemaleGene Expression Regulation, NeoplasticHumansMaleMiddle AgedMutationPrognosisRNA, MessengerBiomarkers, TumorKRAS protein, humanProto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras)RNA, MessengerKRAS mRNA expressionKRAS mutationKRAS protein levelPancreatic cancerPDAC

Identifiers

PMID40596921
PMCPMC12211309

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.