Detection Of K-ras Gene Point Mutation In Peripheral Blood Of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma By PCR-MASA

Objective:To evaluate the clinical significance of detecting K-ras gene point mutation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with pancreatic adenocarcin-oma.Methods:In 17 patients without pancreatic carcinoma and 13 patients with pancreatic carcinoma from 10/2008 to 07/2009,we used PCR-MASA(mutant allele-specific amplification) to study K-ras gene 12 point mutation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) specimens of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The data were analysed withx2 test and Fisher's exact test. All patients were confimed pathologyically.Results:The K-ras gene 12 point mutation rate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of pancreatic adenocarcinoma was 84.6%(11/13). But the K-ras gene 12 point mutation rate in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of acute pancreatitis, chronic pancreatitis,and pancreatic pseudocyst was 11.7%(2/17). The sensitivity,specificity of the detection of K-ras gene mutation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of patients with pancreatic cancer were 84.6%and 88.2%.There was a significant difference between patients with pancreatic cancer and those without pancreatic cancer(P=0.001).Conclusions:(1) Detection of K-ras gene 12 point mutation in peripheral blood monon-uclear cells (PBMC) may serve as an avaluable diagnostic tool for detecting pancreatic carcinoma and particularly for distinguishing benign lesions from malignant ones, thus ensuring early definitive diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma; However,the diagn-osis sensitivity is lox and further research is required for clinical application. (2) PCR-MASA(mutant allele-specific amplification) is rapid,convenient, specific, sesitive and easy to be performed clinically.