This review addresses the history of the ras oncogene, the techniques used
to detect molecular alterations in the ras oncogene, and the application of
polymerase chain reaction (PCB)-based methods to determine point mutations
in clinical samples of patients with pancreatic diseases, namely pancreati
c carcinoma and chronic pancreatitis, The frequency of res mutations in pan
creatic carcinoma is high, ranging from 70 to almost 100%, The frequence sf
res mutations in chronic pancreatitis, either in pancreatic tissue or panc
reatic secretions, vary between 0 and 100%. This wide range in part may be
swing to differences in sampling, DNA extraction, or PCR method, The meanin
g of a k-ras mutation is under debate, Taking into account the positivity o
f ductal hyperplasias in normal pancreas and ras mutations in normal appear
ing duet: cells, this molecular finding may not mean anything, in contrast,
res mutations are associated with smoking, one acknowledged risk factor fo
r pancreatic carcinoma, The need for large prospective cohort studies is em
phasized.