The Kirsten rat sarcoma (KRAS) market in Japan is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% between 2020 and 2025, driven by the growing incidence of colorectal and lung cancers, disease awareness, and technological advancements in diagnosis such as next-generation sequencing (NGS), and utilization of circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) for mutation detection, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘KRAS Tests (In Vitro Diagnostics) – Global Market Analysis and Forecast Model (COVID-19 Market Impact)’, reveals that Qiagen NV, Takara Bio Inc, Illumina Inc and Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc were the leading players in Japan KRAS tests market in 2020.

Aakriti, Medical Devices Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) is majorly used in CRC patients to detect gene mutation. NAATs accounted for about 75% of the KRAS tests market in 2020. However, the Japanese Society of Medical Oncology (JSMO) has now recommended KRAS testing for colorectal cancer (CRC) patients because of its positive clinical results.

“In Japan, NGS testing accounted for about 15% of KRAS testing market in 2020. NGS testing is expected to grow since it can detect rare and novel KRAS mutations. It is possible that a higher proportion of patients will be classified as having mutant KRAS and resistance to anti-EGFR therapies. GlobalData predicts the use of less sensitive methods such as Sanger Sequencing to decrease during the forecast period while NAATs will remain prevalent.”