Cancer Res  2000 Feb 1;60(3):522-4 

High frequency of K-ras mutations in biliary duct carcinomas of cases with a
long common channel in the papilla of Vater.

Hidaka E, Yanagisawa A, Seki M, Takano K, Setoguchi T, Kato Y.

Department of Pathology, Cancer Institute, Tokyo, Japan.

The frequency of K-ras mutation in biliary duct carcinomas in different
locations and the relationship to the form of the junction of the
pancreaticobiliary duct (JPBD) are not understood clearly. These points were
investigated in the present study. Thirty-seven biliary duct carcinomas in
patients without anomalous JPBD were investigated for K-ras mutations. Regarding
location, 12 were hilar, 4 in the upper, 11 in the middle, and 10 in the lower
portion of the duct. Furthermore, with 14 cases for which the form of the JPBD
could be confirmed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or
postoperative cholangiopancreatography, division was made into two types: those
with a long common channel (>5 mm) in the papilla of Vater (type 1, n = 4), and
the other with a shorter or nonapparent common channel (type 2, n = 10). The
overall frequency of K-ras mutation was 30%, the incidence gradually increasing
from upper to lower regions. K-ras mutations were significantly more frequent in
biliary duct carcinomas associated with long common channels (P < 0.05). These
results suggest that a long common channel may bear a relation to K-ras
mutations in biliary duct carcinogenesis, presumably through its influence on
pancreatic juice regurgitation.

PMID: 10676628 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]