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New study from Moffitt Cancer Center offers hope for more personalized therapies for lung cancer patients
A groundbreaking study from Moffitt Cancer Center reveals a promising new method for predicting how well patients with KRASG12C-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) will respond to KRASG12C inhibitors, a class of drugs designed to target a particularly hard-to-treat mutation in lung cancer. The findings, published in Clinical Cancer Research, suggest that measuring the interaction between two proteins—RAS and RAF—could provide valuable insights that help doctors tailor treatments more effectively.
Non-small cell lung cancer, especially the KRASG12C-mutant type, has long been difficult to treat. However, researchers have discovered that tumors with stronger RAS–RAF protein interactions are more likely to respond positively to KRASG12C inhibitors. This discovery marks an important step toward improving outcomes for patients battling this aggressive form of cancer.
The study’s authors, led by Ryoji Kato, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow at Moffitt Cancer Center, used a specialized test called a proximity ligation assay to measure the frequency of RAS and RAF interactions within cancer cells. Their findings show that higher levels of RAS–RAF interactions correspond to more active RAS signaling, which is linked to better responses to the KRASG12C inhibitors.
“By measuring RAS–RAF interactions, we can potentially help doctors make more informed decisions and provide better treatment outcomes for patients,” said Kato, whose work could prove transformative for patients struggling with KRASG12C-mutant NSCLC.
The study also compared RAS–RAF interaction with other markers of cancer activity, such as EGFR, and found that EGFR did not predict response to KRASG12C inhibitors. This suggests that RAS–RAF interaction could be a more reliable and accurate biomarker for assessing which patients are likely to benefit from these treatments.
“This research opens the door to more personalized cancer treatment,” said Eric Haura, M.D., associate center director for Clinical Science at Moffitt. “By assessing RAS signaling directly in tumor samples, we could offer patients more targeted therapies, leading to better outcomes.”
The new proximity ligation assay method holds the potential to revolutionize clinical settings by enabling doctors to select the most appropriate treatment for each patient, improving outcomes in a cancer type that currently has few effective options.
For more details, refer to the study: Ryoji Kato et al., In situ RAS:RAF binding correlates with response to KRASG12C inhibitors in KRASG12C-mutant non–small cell lung cancer, Clinical Cancer Research (2025). DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-24-3714.
Disclaimer: This article is based on a study published in Clinical Cancer Research. The information presented here is for general informational purposes only and should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
