Second primary cancers after resection of lung adenocarcinoma with ras gene mutation.
BACKGROUND
Ras gene mutations are associated with a poor prognosis in patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung. However, the association between cases with ras gene mutation and an occurrence of second primary cancer is unknown.


METHODS
We examined 89 adenocarcinoma of the lung obtained from patients treated by curative resection, and four second primary cancers, for mutation at codons 12, 13, and 61 of three ras oncogenes using polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide hybridization techniques.


RESULTS
Ras gene mutations were detected in 13 cases. Six patients died from recurrent disease within 3 years. Of the seven patients who survived over 5 years, three patients demonstrated a metachronous second primary cancer after the operation for lung cancer, and one patient had synchronous laryngeal cancer. Two of the cases with second primary cancer demonstrated the ras gene mutation. One had the same mutation as that of the primary lung cancer, and the other had a different mutation from the first lung cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Ras gene mutations play an important role in tumor progression of lung adenocarcinoma and also might have an role in the carcinogenesis in respiratory tract cancer.
Sugio
K
K
Department of Surgery II, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. sugio@surg2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp
Fukuyama
Y
Y
Sakada
T
T
Nishioka
K
K
Yamazaki
K
K
Ushijima
C
C
Tsukamoto
S
S
Ishida
T
T
Sugimachi
K
K
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016609:Neoplasms, Second Primary / Q000235:genetics*; D017354:Point Mutation; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D014134:Tracheal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics