Expression of c-myc and mutation of the KRAS gene in patients with ovarian mucinous tumors.

Abstract

We examined the expression of c-myc and mutations in the KRAS gene in ovarian mucinous tumors to explore the pathogenesis of these tumors and the feasibility of targeted gene therapy. Expression of c-myc protein and mutations in the KRAS gene in 24 cases of ovarian mucinous cystadenoma, 46 cases of ovarian borderline mucinous cystadenoma, and 46 cases of ovarian mucinous cystadenocarcinoma were detected using the immunohistochemistry PV-9000 2-step method and polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. The positive expression rates of c-myc in ovarian mucinous cystadenoma, borderline mucinous cystadenoma, and cystadenocarcinoma were 0, 39.1, and 65.2%, respectively (P < 0.01), while the mutation rates in KRAS were 0, 39.1 and 13.0%, respectively. The mutation rate of the borderline group was significantly higher, while rates in the other 2 groups were similar (P > 0.05). c-myc was not correlated with clinical stage, pathological grade, or age of patients with ovarian mucinous cystadenocarcinoma or borderline mucinous cystadenoma (P > 0.05), but was correlated with tumor size (P < 0.05). Mutations in KRAS were not correlated with clinical stage or tumor size in patients with borderline mucinous cystadenoma (P > 0.05), whereas it was correlated with age (P < 0.05). In borderline mucinous cystadenoma, c-myc expression and KRAS mutations were not correlated (P > 0.05). c-myc is involved in the formation of ovarian borderline mucinous cystadenoma and mucinous cystadenocarcinoma, and the KRAS gene may contribute to the formation of borderline mucinous cystadenoma.