title: KRAS and BRAF mutations in sinonasal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  [corrected] Despite improvements in the field of surgery and radiotherapy, the overall prognosis of sinonasal carcinomas is poor, mainly due to the difficulty to resect the tumour completely in this anatomically complex region. Therefore, there is great need for alternative treatments. Knowledge of the KRAS and BRAF mutational status would become clinically important with regard to the possible use of anti-EGFR therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA was extracted from paraffin embedded tumour samples from 57 cases of sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma (SNSCC) and from fresh frozen tumour samples from 58 cases of intestinal-type sinonasal adenocarcinoma (ITAC). Point mutations were analysed for KRAS exon 2 (codons 12 and 13) and BRAF (exon 15, V600E) by direct sequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neither KRAS nor BRAF showed any mutations in the SNSCC, whereas 7/58 (12%) ITAC harboured KRAS mutations and no BRAF mutations. All seven cases with KRAS mutation concerned well-differentiated and less aggressive (papillary and colonic type) ITAC, all patients being woodworkers and 4/7 tobacco smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Neither of SNSCCs carried mutations in KRAS and BRAF and a low frequency of KRAS mutation was found in ITAC. This suggests that KRAS and BRAF mutations play a limited role in the development of sinonasal cancer and that mutation analysis is not useful as a screening test for sensitivity to anti-EGFR therapy in sinonasal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, Instituto Universitario de Oncología del Principado de Asturias, Hospital Universitario Central de Asturias, Oviedo, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García Inclán
authors.forename: Jhudit
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez-Escuredo
authors.forename: César
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alvarez Marcos
authors.forename: Bartolomé
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Scola
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Suárez
authors.forename: José Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Llorente
authors.forename: Mario A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hermsen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009669:Nose Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D017354:Point Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf / Q000235:genetics*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D017678:Sex Distribution; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C117307:KRAS protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; C482119:BRAF protein, human; D048493:Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins