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PIK3CA gene is frequently mutated in breast carcinomas and hepatocellular carcinomas

Jong Woo Lee1, Young Hwa Soung, Su Young Kim

  • 1Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Catholic University of Korea, 505 Banpo-dong, Socho-gu, Seoul 137-701, Korea.

Oncogene
|December 21, 2004
PubMed

Insights

The phosphoinositide-3-kinase, catalytic, alpha (PIK3CA) gene is frequently mutated in common human cancers, including breast and liver cancers. These PIK3CA mutations may contribute to cancer development by altering the lipid kinase pathway.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Somatic mutations in the phosphoinositide-3-kinase, catalytic, alpha (PIK3CA) gene have been identified in various human cancers.
  • Previous research primarily focused on PIK3CA mutations in colon cancer, leaving data on other cancer types largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the frequency and distribution of PIK3CA gene mutations across a range of common human cancers.
  • To determine if PIK3CA mutations occur early in tumorigenesis and are independent of tumor stage.

Main Methods:

  • Mutational analysis of the PIK3CA gene was performed using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) assay.
  • The study analyzed 668 cases of common human cancers, including hepatocellular carcinomas, acute leukemias, gastric carcinomas, breast carcinomas, and non-small-cell lung cancers.

Main Results:

  • PIK3CA somatic mutations were detected in 35.6% of hepatocellular carcinomas, 26.9% of breast carcinomas, 6.5% of gastric carcinomas, 1.1% of acute leukemias, and 1.3% of non-small-cell lung cancers.
  • Mutations were observed in early lesions of breast, hepatocellular, and gastric carcinomas, suggesting PIK3CA mutations can occur independently of tumor stage.

Conclusions:

  • The high incidence and broad distribution of PIK3CA gene mutations in common human cancers suggest its role as an oncogene.
  • Alterations in the lipid kinase pathway due to PIK3CA mutations likely contribute to the development of human cancers.

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