Intratumor Heterogeneity of KRAS Mutation Status in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Is Associated With Smaller Lesions.

Objectives: Recent studies have demonstrated intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) for genetic mutations in various tumors and suggest that ITH might have significant clinical impact. Because KRAS is the most commonly mutated oncogene in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma and has an important role in pancreatic carcinogenesis, the purpose of this study was to evaluate ITH for KRAS gene mutation and its clinical significance.

Methods: Deep sequencing of 47 pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cases was used to determine the fraction of KRAS mutant alleles.