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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

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Mutational activation of k-ras oncogene in human breast-tumors

M Koffa1, V Malamoumitsi, N Agnantis

  • 1NATL HELLEN RES FDN,INST BIOL RES & BIOTECHNOL,48 VAS CONSTANTINOU AVE,GR-11635 ATHENS,GREECE. UNIV CRETE,SCH MED,VIROL LAB,IRAKLION,GREECE. UNIV IOANNINA,SCH MED,DEPT PATHOL,IOANNINA,GREECE.

International Journal of Oncology
|May 14, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Ras gene mutations are rare in breast cancer. This study found K-ras mutations in 12.3% of primary breast carcinomas, suggesting a role in a small subset of these tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Ras genes are frequently activated in various human cancers.
  • Ras mutations are notably rare in breast tumors, prompting further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of point mutations in codons 12 of the K-ras and H-ras genes in primary breast carcinomas.
  • To explore the potential involvement of ras gene mutations in breast cancer development.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of 65 primary breast carcinoma samples.
  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of K-ras and H-ras codon 12 regions.
  • Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for mutation identification.

Main Results:

  • K-ras mutations in codon 12 were identified in 8 out of 65 tumors (12.3%).
  • No H-ras mutations were detected in codon 12 within the studied cohort.

Conclusions:

  • Mutational activation of the K-ras gene may contribute to the development of a small percentage of breast tumors.
  • The findings highlight a specific genetic alteration in a subset of breast cancer cases.

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