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Non-Invasive Ultrasound Assessment of Endometrial Cancer Progression in Pax8-Directed Deletion of the Tumor Suppressors Arid1a and Pten in Mice
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Published on: February 17, 2023

Anticorresponding mutations of the KRAS and PTEN genes in human endometrial cancer

T Ikeda1, K Yoshinaga, A Suzuki

  • 1Department of Molecular Pathology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai 980-8575, Japan.

Oncology Reports
|April 18, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Mutations in the PTEN gene and KRAS gene are common in endometrial cancer (EC). This study found that these genes are often mutated individually, suggesting they function in the same pathway to regulate endometrial cell growth.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Endometrial cancer (EC) is a common female pelvic malignancy.
  • PTEN is a candidate tumor suppressor gene frequently mutated in EC.
  • KRAS gene mutations are also reported in endometrial cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between PTEN and KRAS gene mutations in endometrial cancer.
  • To determine if PTEN and KRAS act in the same cellular pathway in endometrial tissue.

Main Methods:

  • Mutation analysis of PTEN and KRAS genes.
  • Analysis performed on 44 endometrial cancer specimens (38 primary tumors and 6 cell lines).

Main Results:

  • Mutations were found in either PTEN or KRAS in 52% (23/44) of the endometrial tumors analyzed.
  • No tumors exhibited mutations in both PTEN and KRAS simultaneously.
  • This suggests a mutually exclusive mutation pattern between PTEN and KRAS in EC.

Conclusions:

  • The findings support the hypothesis that PTEN and KRAS function within the same growth regulatory pathway in the endometrium.
  • The mutually exclusive mutation pattern indicates a functional link between these two genes in EC development.

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