Molecular characteristics of KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutation frequency in sessile serrated adenomas and polyps in patients from central Taiwan

Background
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers, and patients with CRC usually present with several polyps that can be detected by colonoscopy, which is a commonly used screening tool. Sessile serrated adenomas (SSAs) were a polyp type considered to have a high risk of becoming interval colorectal cancer following negative colonoscopy.

Aim
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the molecular features of SSAs in central Taiwan.

Methods and Results
We used the FemtoPath primer kit to detect BRAF, KRAS, and PIK3CA mutations for 32 specimens: BRAF (V600E), KRAS (G12D, G12C, and G13D), and PIK3CA (H1047Y) mutations were detected.

Conclusion
Almost all SSA samples contained BRAF mutations, and KRAS gene mutations were detected to a statistical significance for patients with high dysplasia and for those with more than three polyps.

Keywords: Interval cancer, Sessile serrated adenomas (SSAs), KRAS, BRAF, PIK3CA

Reference: 中山醫誌