CLINICAL-APPLICATION OF K-RAS ONCOGENE MUTATIONS IN PANCREATIC-CARCINOMA - DETECTION OF MICROMETASTASES

Pancreatic adenocarcinomas are known to have a high incidence of K-ras gene mutation. We summarize our efforts to detect micrometastases thr ough a search for mutated K-ras oncogene in liver tissues, peritoneal washings, para-aortic lymph nodes, and perioperative peripheral blood. Two-stage polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment le ngth polymorphism (RFLP) analysis were used to detect K-ras oncogene m utations at codon 12. Our results suggest that PCR/RFLP analysis is po tentially highly sensitive for the detection of micrometastases in var ious tissues and might be of value in the diagnosis, treatment and fol low-up of metastases in other organs with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. ( C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.