Detection of codon 12 mutation in the K-ras oncogene in pancreatic tumors.

Márcia Saldanha Kubrusly, Euclides Matheucci Junior, Kátia Ramos Moreira Leite, Ana Maria de Mendonça Coelho, Osmar Monte, Marcel Cerqueira Cesar Machado, Henrique Walter Pinotti

Mutations at codons 12, 13, or 61 of the H-ras, K-ras, and N-ras have been detected in human neoplasias by a variety of techniques. Some of these techniques are very sensitive and can detect K-ras mutation in 90% of the cases of pancreatic adenocarcinomas. We analyzed 11 samples of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, three samples of pancreatic mucinous cystadenoma, and two samples without tumors in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue sections. K-ras mutations at codon 12 were detected by a two-step PCR-enriched technique in all the samples of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, but not in cystadenoma or control samples. This technique may be useful for early detection of pancreatic cancer.