Mutational analysis of K-ras codon 12 in blood samples of patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Mutations in K-ras are frequent in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The association of these mutations to clinical features and their prognostic value are unclear. We used quantitative PCR with peptide nucleic acid mediated PCR clamping to specifically analyze 257 blood samples of 31 AML patients for K-ras codon 12 alterations.

Follow-up study of K-ras mutations in the plasma of patients with pancreatic cancer: correlation with clinical features and carbohydrate antigen 19-9.

Objective: We followed up the presence of Kirsten rat sarcoma (K-ras) mutations in plasma DNA and assessed its clinical value in patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods: Plasma samples (N = 430) of 56 patients with pancreatic cancer and 13 patients with pancreatitis were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction using peptide nucleic acid-mediated polymerase chain reaction clamping.

Results: K-ras mutations could be detected in the plasma DNA of 20 patients with cancer (36%).