KRAS genotyping is mandatory in metastatic colorectal cancer treatment prior to undertaking antiepidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibody therapy. BRAF V600E mutation is often present in colorectal carcinoma with CpG island methylator phenotype and microsatellite instability. Currently, KRAS and BRAF evaluation is based on molecular biology techniques such as SNaPshot or Sange...

Fifty-two samples of pediatric low-grade glioma (48 primary, 4 recurrent) were analyzed for BRAF copy number variation (digital PCR analysis, CopyCaller) and point mutations of BRAF V600E, and exon 5 Q209 in GNAQ, and GNA11, using the MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer with validation by direct sequencing. An increased BRAF copy number was found in 18/47 primary samples tested; 15 of them (83.3%) were...

BRAF mutation is the most frequent genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) that are 80–90% of all thyroid cancers. We evaluated the relationship between BRAF and tumor, host, and environmental factors in PTCs from all geographical areas of Sicily. By PCR, BRAF was investigated in a series of 323 PTCs diagnosed in 2002–2005. The correlation between clinicopathological tumor, ho...

BACKGROUND BRAF mutations in colorectal cancer (CRC) are disproportionately observed in tumors exhibiting microsatellite instability (MSI) and are associated with other prognostic factors. The independent association between BRAF mutation status and CRC survival, however, remains unclear. METHODS We evaluated the association between the BRAF c.1799T>A (p.V600E) mutation and survival in indivi...

Background The BRAF p.V600E somatic mutation is present in approximately 10-20% of unselected colorectal cancer (CRC) and 30% -75% of CRCs demonstrating high levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-H). Currently, testing for the BRAF p.V600E mutation is undertaken to exclude Lynch syndrome in MSI-H CRCs that demonstrate loss of the MLH1 and PMS2 proteins by IHC. However, recent evidence sugge...

BRAF mutations result in constitutively active BRAF kinase activity and increased extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling and cell proliferation. Initial studies have shown that BRAF mutations occur at a high frequency in melanocytic nevi and metastatic lesions, but recent data have revealed much lower incidence of these mutations in early-stage melanoma, implying that other facto...

The RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK-MAP kinase pathway mediates the cellular response to extracellular signals that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Mutation of the RAS proto-oncogene occurs in various thyroid neoplasms such as papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs), follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas. A second genetic alteration frequently involved in PTC is RET/PTC rearrangem...

The RAS-RAF-MEK-ERK-MAP kinase pathway mediates the cellular response to extracellular signals that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis. Mutation of the RAS proto-oncogene occurs in various thyroid neoplasms such as papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs), follicular thyroid adenomas and carcinomas. A second genetic alteration frequently involved in PTC is RET/PTC rearrangem...

BACKGROUND Clinical outcome of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in children differs significantly from that of adults. There is no clear explanation of this difference although previous studies have demonstrated a lower prevalence of the BRAF(V600E) mutation in PTC of children. However, data are limited due to the rarity of this diagnosis. BRAF(V600E) mutation prevalence and its relationship w...

BRAF(V600E) mutations are frequent in melanomas originating from intermittently sun-exposed skin and also in common acquired melanocytic nevi, suggesting that BRAF mutation is an early event in melanocytic neoplasia. All neoplastic melanocytes within such a nevus would be expected to carry the BRAF mutation, and thus we evaluated the frequency of cells with BRAF(V600E) mutations within acquired...