Association of candidate alterations with primary resistance to KRAS G12D targeting in colorectal cancer.

Abstract

170 Background: KRAS-mutant colorectal cancer (CRC) has a worse prognosis and greater resistance to therapy, attracting tremendous efforts to develop both allele-specific and pan-KRAS targeting agents including KRAS G12C and G12D inhibitors. CRC has demonstrated both primary and acquired resistance to KRAS G12C inhibitors, which can be better evaluated by circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based next generation sequencing (NGS) methods without tissue sampling bias. Here, we utilized clinical ctDNA data to delineate the landscape of candidate alterations associated with primary resistance to KRAS G12D targeting in CRC. Methods: Samples from advanced CRC patients with Guardant360 data in 2021 were categorized into a KRAS G12D group and comparator groups of KRAS G12C and KRAS not detected (ND) according to KRAS mutation status. Demographics, MSI-H status, and blood tumor mutational burden (bTMB) were summarized and compared between groups using t-test for continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test for categorical variables. Co-occurrence patterns of alterations between KRAS and other genes were assessed. Primary resistance mutations were inferred by acquired resistance findings to KRAS G12C inhibitors reported by Awad et al. N Engl J Med. 2021 and Tanaka et al. Cancer Discov. 2021. Results: Among approximately 2500 samples, 16.8% had KRAS G12D, the most common KRAS mutation in CRC. The mean allele frequency of KRAS G12D (11.4%) is comparable to that of KRAS G12C (10.9%). Mean age (61.6 years), MSI-H frequency (3.8%), and mean bTMB (14.2 Mut/Mb) of KRAS G12D group is comparable to those of KRAS ND group. This contrasts with KRAS G12C with significantly lower mean age (60.2 years, p=0.01), lower MSI-H frequency (0.56%, p=0.03), and higher mean bTMB (16.3 Mut/Mb, p=0.02) compared to KRAS ND. Both KRAS G12D and G12C significantly co-occur with APC, PIK3CA, and SMAD4 alterations. FBXW7, AR, and KEAP1 alterations were unique co-occurrences to KRAS G12D, while KIT was unique to KRAS G12C. Candidate alterations associated with primary resistance in KRAS G12D CRC included simultaneously present mutations of KRAS Q61H (14.1%), G12V (6.4%), G12C (5.9%), G13D (3.6%), BRAF V600E (2.7%) and others, amplification of MET (2%), MYC (1.6%), and KRAS (1.4%), and FGFR3-TACC3 translocation (Table). Conclusions: KRAS G12D is associated with unique co-occurring molecular alterations compared to KRAS G12C in CRC. ctDNA-based NGS platforms can survey candidate alterations associated with primary resistance to KRAS G12D targeting in CRC. Further validation in preclinical models is needed. [Table: see text]