Journal of the National Cancer Institute
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J. Natl. Cancer Inst. · Jul 1995
Detection of K-ras oncogene mutations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid for lung cancer diagnosis.
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. A long-standing goal of cancer researchers has been to develop tests that would facilitate earlier diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer and thereby decrease mortality from this disease. Because cancer results from the accumulation of a variety of genetic events (e.g., mutations, rearrangements, and deletions) in genes controlling cell growth and differentiation, these changes might serve as diagnostically useful molecular markers. Activation of the K-ras oncogene by point mutations in codon 12, which occurs in many cases of lung adenocarcinoma, may serve as one such clinically useful molecular marker. For detection of K-ras point mutations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, in which small numbers of malignant cells are mixed with a population of predominantly genetically normal cells, the sensitivity of commonly used assays for ras mutations risks false-negative results. ⋯ Detection of these mutations could lead to earlier cancer diagnosis and less need for invasive diagnostic procedures.