[General rules for the study of pancreatic cancer by molecular biological aspect]

Genetic changes in K-ras, p53, p16, DPC4, and telomerase activity are frequent in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The incidence of these changes has been reported to be approximately 80% for K-ras, 50% for p53, p16, and DPC4, and 90% for telomerase activity. Genetic abnormalities of APC and microsatellite instability are relatively rare (less than 10%) in pancreatic carcinoma. Among these genetic abnormalities, K-ras and telomerase activity have been used as molecular markers for the diagnosis of pancreatic carcinoma. K-ras mutation could be considered as an early event in the progression to malignancy and thus it has no clear association with the prognosis of the carcinoma. In contrast, mutation of p53 could be a prognostic indicator.