Frequent ras gene mutations in squamous cell cervical cancer

Eighty samples of cervical invasive squamous cell carcinoma were examined for ras gene mutations using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction enzyme digestion. We found 28 (35%) cervical cancers contained ras mutations at H-ras codon 12, 49 (61%) at K-ras codon 12, and 5 (6%) at K-ras codon 13. There were no significant differences in incidence of the ras gene mutations among different histologic grades or clinical stages of the cancer (P > 0.05). This result suggests that ras mutation may be an important step involved in a substantial number of cervical carcinoma. The interaction of ras with other genes and/or events may also be involved in pathogenesis of this malignancy.