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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Deficient Pms2, ERCC1, Ku86, CcOI in Field Defects During Progression to Colon Cancer
Published on: July 29, 2010
K-ras mutations in colorectal adenocarcinomas and neighbouring transitional mucosa
H Zhang1, B Nordenskjöld, M Dufmats
1Division of Cell Biology, Linköping University, Sweden.
Abstract:
The K-ras gene in codons 12 and 13 was investigated using allele-specific polymerase chain reaction in matched normal mucosa (n = 106), transitional mucosa (n = 69) and tumours (n = 149) from 149 patients with colorectal adenocarcinomas. K-ras mutations in codon 12 were detected in 41/149 (28%) of tumours and 4/69 (6%) of transitional mucosa samples, but not in the normal mucosa. Further, mutation rates were increased in younger patients (P = 0.001) and in mucinous carcinomas (50%) compared with well differentiated (17%), moderately differentiated (26%) or poorly differentiated (24%) tumours. Our findings indicate that mucinous carcinoma may represent a distinct genetic entity.
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