NRAS Mutations Are Rare in Colorectal Cancer

Overview

Journal Diagn Mol Pathol

Specialties Molecular Biology
Pathology

Date 2010 Aug 26

PMID 20736745

Citations 100

Authors

Natsumi Irahara

Yoshifumi Baba

Katsuhiko Nosho

Kaori Shima

Liying Yan

Dora Dias-Santagata

Anthony John Iafrate

Charles S Fuchs

Kevin M Haigis

Shuji Ogino

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Activating mutations in members of the RAS oncogene family (KRAS, HRAS, and NRAS) have been found in a variety of human malignancies, suggesting a dominant role in carcinogenesis. In colon cancers, KRAS mutations are common and clearly contribute to malignant progression. The frequency of NRAS mutations and their relationship with clinical, pathologic, and molecular features remains uncertain. We developed and validated a Pyroseqencing assay to detect NRAS mutations at codons 12, 13, and 61. Using a collection of 225 colorectal cancers from 2 prospective cohort studies, we examined the relationship between NRAS mutations, clinical outcome, and other molecular features, including mutation of KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA, microsatellite instability, and the CpG island methylator phenotype. Finally, we examined whether NRAS mutation was associated with patient survival or prognosis. NRAS mutations were detected in 5 (2.2%) of the 225 colorectal cancers and tended to occur in left-sided cancers arising in women, but did not seem to be associated with any of the molecular features that were examined.

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