KRAS G12C Mutation Identified as a Rare Potential Target in Genitourinary Cancers

BUFFALO, NY – August 28, 2026 – A new #research paper was published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on August 19, 2026, titled “Incidence of KRAS G12C mutations in genitourinary malignancies; emerging target in precision medicine.”
The study was led by first author Kelly Crane from the Department of Urology at SUNY Upstate Medical University. The corresponding author is K. R. Seetharam Bhat, who is affiliated with the Department of Urology at SUNY Upstate Medical University and Upstate Urology at MVHS.
KRAS is one of the most extensively studied oncogenes in cancer, and the G12C variant has become clinically important following the development of mutation-specific inhibitors. Although KRAS G12C-targeted therapy is established in other malignancies, its frequency and genomic characteristics in genitourinary cancers have remained less well defined.
To address this gap, the researchers performed comprehensive genomic profiling of 13,654 tumor specimens from patients with metastatic disease, including 1,453 renal clear cell carcinomas, 3,879 urothelial bladder carcinomas, and 8,322 prostate acinar adenocarcinomas. Tumor mutational burden, microsatellite instability, and PD-L1 expression were also evaluated.
Across the full cohort, KRAS alterations were detected in 367 tumors, or 2.7%, while KRAS G12C was identified in only 25 tumors, representing approximately 0.2% of all specimens. No G12C variants were found among the renal clear cell carcinomas. In urothelial bladder carcinoma, 24 of 202 KRAS-altered tumors, or 12%, carried G12C, while only one of 158 KRAS-altered prostate tumors contained the variant.
Full press release - https://www.oncotarget.com/news/pr/kras-g12c-mutation-identified-as-a-rare-potential-target-in-genitourinary-cancers/
DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.28912
Correspondence to - K. R. Seetharam Bhat - bhatkuls@upstate.edu
Abstract video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me9HXtnDmp4
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Keywords - cancer, KRAS mutation, genitourinary malignancy, precision medicine, emerging target
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