Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that the cobas KRAS Mutation Test is now commercially available in Europe for use in colorectal cancer.
The cobas KRAS Mutation Test identifies mutations in the KRAS gene of colorectal cancer tissue that are predictive of individual response to therapy with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody therapies.
"By quickly and reliably detecting KRAS mutations, the cobas KRAS Mutation Test provides oncology professionals with a new, validated tool to help guide and personalize treatment of colorectal cancer," said Paul Brown, head of Roche Molecular Systems (RMS), the business area of Roche that developed the test.
KRAS mutations occur in 35 to 45 percent of colorectal cancers. The remaining tumors (approximately 60 percent) have no KRAS mutations, and are referred to as KRAS wild type. The cobas KRAS Mutation Test was designed to detect KRAS mutations with high sensitivity, which is important because of the safety issues of treating mutation positive patients with anti-EGFR monoclonal antibody therapies. The test detects mutations in codons 12, 13 and 61 of the KRAS gene.
There is strong evidence that tumor KRAS status is a predictive biomarker of efficacy for EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibodies. Treatment with EGFR-targeted monoclonal antibodies is beneficial in patients with KRAS wild-type colorectal cancer, whereas it is not effective, or may even be detrimental, in patients with KRAS mutations.
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