Cancer Lett  1998 Apr 10;126(1):59-65 

K-ras mutations in sinonasal adenocarcinomas in patients occupationally exposed
to wood or leather dust.

Saber AT, Nielsen LR, Dictor M, Hagmar L, Mikoczy Z, Wallin H.

National Institute of Occupational Health, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Of 39 males diagnosed with sinonasal adenocarcinomas over 30 years in the Lund
University Hospital catchment area (1.5 million inhabitants), archival tumor
tissue was available from 29. Of these, 16 had been exposed to wood dust and
three had been exposed to leather dust. The intestinal-type and papillary
adenocarcinomas were more common in the exposed patients (P = 0.0002, Fisher's
exact test). The tumors from all but one of the 29 sinonasal adenocarcinomas
could be analyzed for point mutations at codons 12, 13 and 61 of the K-ras gene.
Four mutations were detected in the 28 tumors. The three mutations in the
patients exposed to wood and leather dust were all G:C --> A:T transitions, with
two at position 2 of codon 12 and one at position 2 of codon 13. The high
proportion of G:C --> A:T mutations in this rare tumor may reflect a genotoxic
agent in wood and leather dust.

PMID: 9563649 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]