Tyrosine kinase activating mutations in human malignancies: implications for diagnostic pathology.
Constitutively activated tyrosine kinases play an important role in human malignancies. Their constant downstream signaling leads to cell proliferation and the inhibition of anti-apoptotic mechanisms. New cancer therapeutics have been designed to specifically target the activated kinases in human cancers and in some instances treatment with these agents leads to tumor regression. With the use of new molecular techniques, it is now possible in routine diagnostic work to characterize human malignancies with respect to the presence or absence of activated tyrosine kinases. This may have important predictive and prognostic implications.
Holden
Joseph A
JA
Department of Pathology, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA.
Willmore-Payne
Carlynn
C
Layfield
Lester J
LJ
D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D046152:Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D018734:Genes, erbB-2; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D009154:Mutation; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000235:genetics; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics
D004247:DNA; C512478:EGFR protein, human; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf