KRAS mutations in histiocytic neoplasms: Mutation spectrum and response to MEK inhibition

Abstract Introduction Histiocytic neoplasms (HN) are a rare, heterogeneous group of hematologic disorders derived from myeloid-dendritic cell lineages. The most common forms include Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), Erdheim-Chester disease (ECD), and Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD). These disorders are driven by recurrent activating mutations in the MAPK pathway, most frequently involving BRAF, MAP2K1, PIK3CA, KRAS, and NRAS. This discovery enabled a major therapeutic advance with the use of BRAF and MEK inhibitors, resulting in durable responses. For patients harboring KRAS mutations, MEK inhibitors (MEKi) remain the primary therapeutic approach. However, the impact of KRAS mutation subtypes on treatment response remains poorly understood. Our study aimed to characterize the spectrum of KRAS mutations in LCH, ECD, and RDD and evaluate the responses to MEKi, providing insights to guide future treatment strategies. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients with LCH, ECD, and RDD who were evaluated at Mayo Clinic or University of Alabama at Birmingham. Patients were included if next-generation sequencing identified a KRAS mutation. The response assessment was based on radiographic evaluation under the most recent Histiocyte Society consensus guideline. Results We identified 23 patients with a KRAS mutation: 17 females (73.9%) and 6 males (26.1%), with a median age at diagnosis of 61 years (range, 20–78). RDD accounted for 73.9% (17/23) and ECD for 26.1% (6/23); no KRAS mutations were detected in LCH patients. The most frequent KRAS variants were p.K117N (34.8%), p.G12D (17.4%), p.A146T (13.0%), p.G13C (8.7%), and p.G13D (8.7%), with additional variants including p.T58I, p.A59G, p.A146P, and p.A146V. Mutation distribution differed by disease group: p.G12D was more common in ECD (50%) than RDD (5.9%) (p=0.01), whereas p.K117N occurred in 47.1% of RDD and was absent in ECD. Regarding treatment, 57% (13/23) received MEKi, all initially cobimetinib, with 1 patient switched to trametinib due to progression. Of the 10 patients who did not receive MEKi, 1 was treated with vemurafenib for a concurrent BRAF p.V600E mutation; 3 remained on observation; 2 underwent surgery without recurrence; 3 received other systemic therapies including corticosteroid, methotrexate, rituximab, lenalidomide, or sirolimus; and 1 developed diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, treated with R-CHOP. The overall response rate in the 12 patients on MEKi (excluding 1 patient too early for assessment) was 75%—3 (25%) CR and 6 (50%) PR (including 1 who initially progressed on cobimetinib but responded to trametinib). All 3 non-responders had RDD. Among the 5 patients with p.K117N, 3 had no response to cobimetinib, 1 achieved PR, and 1 achieved CR; notably, 1 non-responder switched to trametinib and achieved PR in 2 months. All 3 patients with codon 146 mutations achieved PR. Of the 2 patients with p.G12D, 1 achieved CR with a co-occurring MAP2K1 mutation, and 1 had no response. No additional genotype–response patterns were observed. Similar heterogeneity has been reported in prior studies. In a phase II cobimetinib trial, an ECD patient with p.R149G achieved PR, whereas another ECD patient with p.G12R and an LCH patient with p.G13C achieved CR in the presence of co-occurring ARAF and NRAS mutations, respectively. A retrospective cohort described an ECD patient with p.K117N achieving PR on dabrafenib and trametinib with a concurrent BRAF mutation and another with p.G12A achieving PR on trametinib. In a multicenter analysis of trametinib, a patient with p.A59T (co-occurring BRAF and NRAS mutations) had no response, whereas another with p.A146P achieved PR. Collectively, these findings, together with our data, underscore that KRAS-mutated histiocytoses exhibit heterogeneous responses to MEKi, likely influenced by variant type and co-mutations. Discussion KRAS mutations represent an important subset of MAPK pathway alterations in HN, although their prevalence varies by disease type and appears extremely rare in LCH, with no cases identified in our cohort. The most common variants include p.K117N and p.G12D, which may be linked to suboptimal response to MEKi in the absence of concurrent MAPK pathway alterations. As MEKi acts downstream, efficacy likely depends on the level of pathway activation conferred by specific KRAS variants. Larger studies are needed to confirm these observations and identify mutation-specific predictors to guide personalized treatment.