title: Absence of BRAF mutation in pediatric and adolescent germ cell tumors indicate biological differences to adult tumors.
abstract: The V600E mutation of the BRAF gene has been reported to be associated with poor prognosis of germ cell tumors in adult patients. We analyzed the mutational status of the BRAF and KRAS gene as well as MLH1 and MSH6 expression as surrogate markers for microsatellite instability in 70 pediatric germ cell tumors. Neither BRAF and KRAS mutations nor loss of MLH1 and MSH6 expression were found. Our data provide further evidence for patient age related biological differences in germ cell tumors and demonstrate that prognostic biomarkers cannot necessarily be transferred from one age group to the other.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hematopathology Section and Lymph Node Registry, University of Kiel, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Neus
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Masqué-Soler
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Szczepanowski
authors.forename: Ivo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Leuschner
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vokuhl
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haag
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Calaminus
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Klapper
mesh_terms: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / Q000235:genetics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002648:Child; D053843:DNA Mismatch Repair; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053842:Microsatellite Instability; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D009373:Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D017354:Point Mutation; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C094443:G-T mismatch-binding protein; C117307:KRAS protein, human; C501486:MLH1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; D000070957:MutL Protein Homolog 1; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins