Identification of subsets of actionable genetic alterations in KRAS-mutant lung cancers using association rule mining

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in both men and women. KRAS mutations occur in ~ 25% of patients with lung cancer, and the presence of these mutations is associated with a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, efforts to directly target KRAS or its associated downstream MAPK or PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways have seen little or no benefits. Here, I hypothesize that KRAS-mutant tumors do not respond to KRAS pathway therapies due to the co-occurrence of other activated cell survival pathways and/or mechanisms.