Detection of K-ras point mutation at codon 12 in pancreatic diseases: a study in a Brazilian casuistic.

Objective: To clarify the sensitivity and the validity of K-ras point mutational analysis at codon 12 in Brazilian patients with pancreatic diseases, and the possible correlation between the presence of the mutation and the histopathological findings.

Patients: Ninety-seven Brazilian patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors and chronic pancreatitis were enrolled in this study. Forty-five patients (46%) were female and 52 patients (54%) were male, having an average age of 60.