Identification of ras Oncogene Mutations in the Stool of Patients with Curable Colorectal Tumors

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 256; no. 5053; pp. 102 - 105
• Main Authors: Sidransky, David, Tokino, Takashi, Hamilton, Stanley R., Kinzler, Kenneth W., Levin, Bernard, Frost, Philip, Vogelstein, Bert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 03-04-1992; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Amino Acid Sequence; Bacteriophages; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Southern; Cancer; Carcinoma - diagnosis; Carcinoma - genetics; Carcinoma - pathology; Colonic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Colonic Neoplasms - genetics; Colonic Neoplasms - pathology; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal neoplasms; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Digestive system; DNA; DNA, Neoplasm - genetics; DNA, Neoplasm - isolation & purification; Epithelial cells; feces; Feces - chemistry; Female; Gastroenterology. Liver. Pancreas. Abdomen; Genes, ras; Genetic aspects; Genetic mutation; Genetic screening; Genetic testing; Humans; Male; Medical research; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Molecular Sequence Data; Mutation; Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; Oligonucleotides; Oncogenes; Patients; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Prognosis; ras; Ras genes; Rectal Neoplasms - diagnosis; Rectal Neoplasms - genetics; Rectal Neoplasms - pathology; Rectum; Stomach. Duodenum. Small intestine. Colon. Rectum. Anus; Tests; Tumor markers; Tumors; Human; C-Onc gene; Rectum; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Tumor; Colon; Mutation
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.1566048

Colorectal (CR) tumors are usually curable if detected before metastasis. Because genetic alterations are associated with the development of these tumors, mutant genes may be found in the stool of individuals with CR neoplasms. The stools of nine patients whose tumors contained mutations of K-ras were analyzed. In eight of the nine cases, the ras mutations were detectable in DNA purified from the stool. These patients included those with benign and malignant neoplasms from proximal and distal colonic epithelium. Thus, colorectal tumors can be detected by a noninvasive method based on the molecular pathogenesis of the disease.