Quantity of mutant K-ras gene in pancreatic secretions for diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma with different assays: analysis of 100 patients.
BACKGROUND
Two types of quantitative assay kits for K-ras mutations, PCR-preferential homoduplex formation assay (PHFA) and enriched PCR and enzyme-linked mini-sequence assay (ELMA), were recently developed. The K-ras mutations were analyzed using these assays.


METHODS
DNA was extracted from the pancreatic juice which was obtained by endoscopy from 38 patients with pancreatic neoplasms (23 adenocarcinomas and 15 intraductal papillary neoplasms) and from 62 without it.


RESULTS
The results of the two methods were mutually correlative. K-ras mutation was detected at high levels (mutant ras genes occupied >2% of all K-ras genes) in 25 of the 38 cases (66%) with pancreatic neoplasm. It was also detected at high levels in 9 of the 14 cases (64%) with pancreatic cyst. In contrast, the mutant gene was detected at a lower level (<2%) in other cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Quantitative analysis of the mutant ras gene provided a useful tool for diagnosing the pancreatic carcinoma when the percentage of the mutant is high, especially when the types of mutation were either GAT or GTT.
Department of Gastroenterology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, 113-8655 Tokyo, Japan. tada-2im@h.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Minoru
M
Tada
Keisuke
K
Tateishi
Takao
T
Kawabe
Naoki
N
Sasahira
Hiroyuki
H
Isayama
Yutaka
Y
Komatsu
Yasushi
Y
Shiratori
Masao
M
Omata
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D011905:Genes, ras / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D010179:Pancreas / Q000378:metabolism*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018300:Papilloma, Intraductal / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
D005819:Genetic Markers