title: Racial differences in oncogene mutations detected in early-stage low-grade endometrial cancers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the pattern and frequency of oncogene mutations in white and African American women with endometrial cancer and to determine if racial differences in oncogene mutations exist among women with pathologically similar tumors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with endometrial cancer from a large urban hospital were identified through medical records, and representative formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tumor blocks were retrieved. The study sample included 150 patients (84 African Americans) who underwent total abdominal hysterectomy for endometrial cancer. The Sequenom MassARRAY system and the OncoCarta Assay version 1.0 (Sequenom) were used to test for 238 mutations in 19 common oncogenes. The χ(2) test and the Fisher exact test were used to assess differences in distribution of variables by race and oncogene mutation status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 20 mutations identified in 2 oncogenes (PIK3CA and KRAS) in tumors from 19 women (12.7%). Most of the mutations were found in PIK3CA (16/20). Thirteen percent of endometrioid tumors harbored mutations (11 PIK3CA and 2 KRAS) as did 29% of the malignant mixed Mullerian tumors (3 PIK3CA and 1 KRAS). There were no observed mutations in serous, clear cell, or mucinous tumor types. Among low-grade endometrioid cancers, tumors from African American patients were significantly associated with harboring either a KRAS or PIK3CA mutation (P = 0.04), with 7 PIK3CA mutations and all 4 KRAS mutations identified in African American women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides preliminary evidence that oncogene mutation frequency of some subtypes of histologically similar endometrial carcinoma differ by race. Additional studies are needed to further explore this phenomenon in patients with endometrial carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA. cotem@karmanos.org
authors.forename: Michele L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cote
authors.forename: Govindaraja
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Atikukke
authors.forename: Julie J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ruterbusch
authors.forename: Sara H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Olson
authors.forename: Shawnita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sealy-Jefferson
authors.forename: Benjamin A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Rybicki
authors.forename: Sharon Hensley
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Alford
authors.forename: Mohammad A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Elshaikh
authors.forename: Arthur R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gaba
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schultz
authors.forename: Ramsi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.forename: Adnan R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Munkarah
authors.forename: Rouba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ali-Fehmi
mesh_terms: D018262:Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002288:Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D018284:Cystadenocarcinoma, Serous / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015996:Survival Rate; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*; D018631:ras Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D058534:Class I Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016283:Proto-Oncogene Proteins p21(ras); D018631:ras Proteins; C117307:KRAS protein, human; C484760:PIK3CA protein, human