Our study revealed a correlation of KRAS mutations with high-grade TB, an association of certain KRAS and PIK3CA variants with aggressive clinicopathological features, as well as a possible relationship between BRAF mutations and mucin production in CRC.
High tumor budding was associated with advanced pathologic stage (P < 0.001), microsatellite stability (P = 0.005), KRAS mutation (P = 0.010), and on multivariate analysis with a > 2 times risk of cancer-specific death (hazard ratio = 2.57 [1.27, 5.19]).
Consistent with the hypothesis, tumor budding and podia formation were observed to be significantly higher in the 32 (34.7%) of the tumors with K-ras gene mutations (29 mutations in codon 12, 3 in codon 13), and this correlation was observed independent of the patterns of invasion (expansive versus infiltrative).