RESUMO
Background & Objective: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most prevalent type of ovarian cancer. Previous studies have elucidated different pathways for the progression of this malignancy. The mutation in the B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase (BRAF) gene, a member of the MAPK/ERK signaling pathway, plays a role in the development of EOC. The current study aimed to determine the frequency of the BRAF V600E mutation in ovarian serous and mucinous tumors, including borderline and carcinoma subtypes. Methods: A total of 57 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples, including serous borderline tumors (SBTs), low-grade serous carcinomas (LGSCs), high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSCs), mucinous borderline tumors (MBTs), and mucinous carcinomas, and 57 normal ovarian tissues were collected. The BRAF V600E mutation was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing. Results: While 40% of the SBT harbor BRAF mutation, we found no BRAF mutation in the invasive serous carcinoma (P=0.017). Also, there was only 1 BRAF mutation in MBT and no mutation in mucinous carcinomas. In addition, we found no mutation in the control group. Conclusion: The BRAF mutation is most frequent in borderline tumors but not in invasive serous carcinomas. It seems that 2 different pathways exist for the development of ovarian epithelial neoplasms: one for borderline tumors and the other for high-grade invasive carcinomas. Our study supports this hypothesis. The BRAF mutation is rare in mucinous neoplasms.
RESUMO
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: BRAF mutations were studied in various populations for prostate carcinoma (PC); however, mutations in BRAF gene are unusual compared to KRAS. Oncogenic activating of BRAF mutations were studied lately in almost 0%10% of prostate cancer cases. METHODS: In this retrospective study, we gathered 100 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of prostate adenocarcinoma. A hundred archived samples of adjacent benign prostatic hyperplasia were chosen as normal control. This study was done in pathology laboratory of Qaem Hospital during 2013-2015. RESULTS: Total number of 200 PC and normal cases was investigated for BRAF V600E mutation. The BRAF V600E mutation was found in only 4 patients but it was not detected in normal cases. There were no significant differences between patient and control groups for this mutation (P>0.99). The frequency of BRAF V600E mutation was not significant in different age groups (P>0.285); the most frequency was related to the age range of 71-80. No significant difference was observed between tumor grade and BRAF mutation (P=0.21). CONCLUSION: According to our findings, BRAF gene mutations did not play essential role in PC. Therefore, anti-BRAF (V600E) could not be considered as a proper target for therapy.
