QUANTITATIVE-ANALYSIS OF RAS GENE MUTATION IN PANCREATIC-JUICE FOR DIAGNOSIS OF PANCREATIC ADENOCARCINOMA

It has recently been demonstrated that mutant ras gene was also detect ed in patients with mucinous cell hyperplasia without adenocarcinoma, indicating that the presence of the mutation could not be a definite m arker for pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The present study was performed t o differentiate pancreatic adenocarcinoma from others by quantificatio n of mutant ras gene in pancreatic juice. By measuring mutant ms gene by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) during its logarithmic phase, the a mount was semiquantitatively evaluated between 0.1 and 10% of total DN A that was extracted from pancreatic juice obtained via endoscopy. Sem iquantitative analysis revealed that the mutant gene occupied more tha n 1% of total DNA in eight of 15 patients (53%) with pancreatic adenoc arcinoma, and in all three patients (100%) with intraductal papillary neoplasm of the pancreas, but in only two of 19 cases (11%) without ne oplasm. Semiquantitative analysis may provide a clinical tool for the differential diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma.