{"entity":{"id":"wild-type","kind":"term","name":"Wild-type (WT)","aka":["wild type","wildtype","RAS wild-type","KRAS wild-type","BRAF wild-type","TP53 wild-type","TP53-wild-type","EGFR wild-type","unmutated"],"tldr":"The normal, unmutated version of a gene. Saying a tumour is 'RAS wild-type' means its RAS gene is not mutated, which for colorectal cancer means EGFR antibodies can work.","summary":"Borrowed from genetics, wild-type is the reference sequence against which mutations are defined. It matters when a mutation predicts resistance rather than sensitivity: only RAS/BRAF wild-type colorectal cancers respond to cetuximab or panitumumab; TP53 wild-type tumours can respond to MDM2 inhibitors; unmutated IGHV in CLL predicts shorter remissions with chemoimmunotherapy. Because 'wild-type' depends on what was tested, a tumour can be wild-type on a small panel and mutated on a larger one.","asOf":"2026-09-09","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_type","links":[{"label":"Wikipedia","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_type"}],"tags":[],"related":["driver-mutation","kras-mutation-subtypes","tp53-mutated","cgp"],"cancers":[],"sections":["diagnostics"],"technologies":[],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"category":"Biomarkers"},"route":"/terms/wild-type/","neighbours":{"term":[{"id":"driver-mutation","kind":"term","name":"Driver mutation","route":"/terms/driver-mutation/"},{"id":"kras-mutation-subtypes","kind":"term","name":"KRAS mutation subtypes (G12C, G12D, G12V)","route":"/terms/kras-mutation-subtypes/"},{"id":"tp53-mutated","kind":"term","name":"TP53-mutated (p53-abnormal)","route":"/terms/tp53-mutated/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cgp","kind":"technology","name":"Comprehensive genomic profiling","route":"/technologies/cgp/"}],"section":[{"id":"diagnostics","kind":"section","name":"Diagnostics & Biomarkers","route":"/fronts/diagnostics/"}],"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/nsclc/"},{"id":"pancreatic","kind":"cancer","name":"Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/cancers/pancreatic/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-bertotti-xenopatients-her2-cetuximab-resistant-colorectal-cancer-discov-2011","kind":"paper","name":"A molecularly annotated platform of patient-derived xenografts identifies HER2 as an effective therapeutic target in cetuximab-resistant colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-bertotti-xenopatients-her2-cetuximab-resistant-colorectal-cancer-discov-2011/"},{"id":"paper-yaeger-metastatic-colorectal-genomic-landscape-cancer-cell-2018","kind":"paper","name":"Clinical sequencing defines the genomic landscape of metastatic colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-yaeger-metastatic-colorectal-genomic-landscape-cancer-cell-2018/"},{"id":"paper-enrgy-zenocutuzumab-nrg1-fusion-positive-cancer-nejm-2025","kind":"paper","name":"eNRGy: efficacy of zenocutuzumab in NRG1 fusion-positive cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-enrgy-zenocutuzumab-nrg1-fusion-positive-cancer-nejm-2025/"},{"id":"paper-heining-nrg1-fusions-kras-wild-type-pancreatic-cancer-discov-2018","kind":"paper","name":"Heining 2018: NRG1 fusions in KRAS wild-type pancreatic cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-heining-nrg1-fusions-kras-wild-type-pancreatic-cancer-discov-2018/"},{"id":"paper-richman-her2-amplification-quasar-focus-piccolo-j-pathol-2016","kind":"paper","name":"HER2 overexpression and amplification as a potential therapeutic target in colorectal cancer: analysis of 3256 patients enrolled in the QUASAR, FOCUS and PICCOLO colorectal cancer trials","route":"/key-papers/paper-richman-her2-amplification-quasar-focus-piccolo-j-pathol-2016/"},{"id":"paper-tcga-pancreatic-integrated-characterisation-cancer-cell-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Integrated genomic characterization of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/key-papers/paper-tcga-pancreatic-integrated-characterisation-cancer-cell-2017/"},{"id":"paper-jones-nrg1-fusions-recurrent-actionable-kras-wild-type-pdac-ccr-2019","kind":"paper","name":"Jones 2019: NRG1 gene fusions are recurrent, clinically actionable rearrangements in KRAS wild-type pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma","route":"/key-papers/paper-jones-nrg1-fusions-recurrent-actionable-kras-wild-type-pdac-ccr-2019/"},{"id":"paper-karapetis-kras-cetuximab-colorectal-nejm-2008","kind":"paper","name":"K-ras mutations and benefit from cetuximab in advanced colorectal cancer","route":"/key-papers/paper-karapetis-kras-cetuximab-colorectal-nejm-2008/"},{"id":"paper-sepulveda-molecular-biomarkers-colorectal-guideline-jco-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Molecular biomarkers for the evaluation of colorectal cancer: guideline from ASCP, CAP, AMP and ASCO","route":"/key-papers/paper-sepulveda-molecular-biomarkers-colorectal-guideline-jco-2017/"},{"id":"paper-philip-kras-wild-type-pancreatic-ccr-2022","kind":"paper","name":"Molecular characterization of KRAS wild-type tumors in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma","route":"/key-papers/paper-philip-kras-wild-type-pancreatic-ccr-2022/"},{"id":"paper-paradigm-jama-2023","kind":"paper","name":"Panitumumab vs Bevacizumab Added to Standard First-line Chemotherapy and Overall Survival Among Patients With RAS Wild-type, Left-Sided Metastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial","route":"/key-papers/paper-paradigm-jama-2023/"},{"id":"paper-douillard-prime-panitumumab-ras-nejm-2013","kind":"paper","name":"Panitumumab-FOLFOX4 treatment and RAS mutations in colorectal cancer (PRIME)","route":"/key-papers/paper-douillard-prime-panitumumab-ras-nejm-2013/"},{"id":"paper-tejpar-tumour-location-crystal-fire3-jama-oncol-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Prognostic and predictive relevance of primary tumor location in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer: retrospective analyses of the CRYSTAL and FIRE-3 trials","route":"/key-papers/paper-tejpar-tumour-location-crystal-fire3-jama-oncol-2017/"},{"id":"paper-arnold-primary-tumour-side-ras-wild-type-ann-oncol-2017","kind":"paper","name":"Prognostic and predictive value of primary tumour side in patients with RAS wild-type metastatic colorectal cancer treated with chemotherapy and EGFR directed antibodies in six randomized trials","route":"/key-papers/paper-arnold-primary-tumour-side-ras-wild-type-ann-oncol-2017/"},{"id":"paper-kris-lung-cancer-mutation-consortium-jama-2014","kind":"paper","name":"Using multiplexed assays of oncogenic drivers in lung cancers to select targeted drugs","route":"/key-papers/paper-kris-lung-cancer-mutation-consortium-jama-2014/"}],"target":[{"id":"egfr","kind":"target","name":"EGFR","route":"/targets/egfr/"},{"id":"kras","kind":"target","name":"KRAS","route":"/targets/kras/"},{"id":"nras","kind":"target","name":"NRAS","route":"/targets/nras/"}],"biomarker":[{"id":"kras-g12d","kind":"biomarker","name":"KRAS G12D (and other non-G12C KRAS mutations)","route":"/biomarkers/kras-g12d/"},{"id":"ras-wild-type","kind":"biomarker","name":"RAS wild-type (extended KRAS and NRAS testing)","route":"/biomarkers/ras-wild-type/"}]}}