| Background: Ovarian carcinoma is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death
among females. K-ras codon 12 mutations are commonly occurring mutations in different
types of cancers and leads to resistance against anti-EGFR therapeutics. Hence,
determination of mutations in k-ras gene is crucial for predicting response to anti-EGFR
therapies. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of k-ras gene mutations and CA125
tumor marker in patients with ovarian carcinoma in Tabriz city.
Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 67 tissues pertained to women with ovarian
carcinoma. Mutations in codon 12 and 13 of k-ras gene were analyzed by Nested PCR and
RFLP methods. Titer of CA125 tumor marker was determined by ELISA.
Results: Among the 67 patients, 7 patients (10.4%) had mutation in k-ras codon 12 while
none of them had mutation in k-ras codon 13. Based on the results, the frequency of
various genotypes were 89.55%, 10.44%, and 0%, for GG, GA, and AA alleles,
respectively. The p-value for stage I and Grade I tumors were 0.022 and 0.04, respectively,
indicating a statistically significant correlation between codon 12 mutation and stage I and
Grade I tumors. Furthermore, we found significant correlations among CA125 tumor
marker titers and histological grade (p<0.000) and stage (p<0.000). The mean serum
CA125 tumor marker levels in malignant carcinomas were 499.84 U/ml.
Conclusion: The results in this study indicated high prevalence of k-ras codon 12
mutations and high titer of CA125 tumor marker in patients with ovarian carcinoma in the
study region. |