Gene Analysis Identifies Pathways of Ovarian Cancer

This finding was published in the March 19, 2003, issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Mutations in BRAF and KRAS are present in a variety of human cancers, and mutations in BRAF are especially prevalent in cutaneous melanoma. To determine the role of these mutations in ovarian cancer, which is one of the most lethal cancers in women, investigators at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Baltimore, MD, USA) analyzed 182 ovarian tumor samples of different types for the presence of three common mutations in BRAF or KRAS.

They found one of the three mutations in BRAF and KRAS in 15 of 22 (68%) invasive low-grade tumors and in 31 of 51 (61%) precancerous lesions. None of the tumors contained a mutation in both genes. In contrast, no samples of aggressive high-grade ovarian cancers contained a mutation in either gene.

The investigators stated that their findings suggested that low-grade and high-grade ovarian serous carcinomas develop through independent pathways, and that blocking KRAS-BRAF signaling may provide more effective therapy for low-grade serous carcinomas, which generally do not respond well to conventional chemotherapy.



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