title: Differences in Molecular Pathologic Characteristics of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma between Egyptian and Moroccan Patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pancreatic cancer has not been well studied, especially in developing countries.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied the variations in genetic mutations in pancreatic adenocarcinoma between Moroccan and Egyptian populations. The molecular pathology of 30 tumors from a large hospital in Casablanca, Morocco were examined and compared with the findings of 44 tumors from the Gharbiah Governate in Egypt. K-ras mutations in codons12 and 13 in addition to p53 mutations in exons 5-8 were evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, differences in the rates of K-ras mutations were not statistically significant (48.00 and 34.09%, respectively); however differences in rates of p53 mutations were statistically significant with p53 mutations more common in Moroccan tumors than in Egyptian tumors (46.67 and 16.28%, respectively). GT mutations of the K-ras gene were most commonly seen Egyptian tumors, whereas G → A mutations were the most common type of mutations in Moroccan tumors. Logistic regression analysis showed that a p53 mutation in any exon as well as a p53 mutation in exon 5 predicted the country of residence and those mutations occurred more frequently in Moroccan patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that differences exist within the Arab population in the molecular pathology of both the K-ras and p53 genes. Further studies are necessary to clarify the differences in molecular pathways of pancreatic cancer in the Middle East and to investigate the role of environmental and/or genetic factors related to those pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Amr
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Soliman
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Mohammed V University, Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karkouri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Tanta Cancer Center, Tanta, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hoda Gad
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Omer
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
authors.forename: Joel F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Greenson
keywords: Egypt; K-ras; Molecular Pathology; Morocco; Pancreatic Cancer; p53