ANALYSIS OF P53 AND RAS GENE-MUTATIONS IN HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA INITALY

Objective: To evaluate the frequency of p53 tumour suppressor gene and H- and K-ras oncogene mutations in both neoplastic and distant cirrho tic non-neoplastic tissue in Italian patients with hepatocellular carc inoma (HCC). Patients: Ten men and four women (mean age 62 +/- 7 years ) with HCC associated with cirrhosis, who underwent resection. More th an half the patients had a lesion over 3 cm in diameter and in 12 case s carcinoma was well differentiated. Methods: Exons 4 to 9 of p53 and codons 12, 13 and 61 of the H- and K-ras genes were analyzed by the po lymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism method in both neoplastic and non-adjacent cirrhotic tissue and in cell line s harbouring known mutations as positive controls. Results: No aberran t migrating fragments were observed in tumoral and cirrhotic non-neopl astic tissue. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that p53 mutation is a rare occurrence in HCC, at least in countries with a low incidence of this cancer. They also confirm that H- and K-ras mutations are infreq uent in HCC and play a minimal role in hepatocarcinogenesis.