Molecular Status of BRAF Mutation in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: An Analysis of ۵۷ Cases in the Northeast of Iran

Background & Objective: Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most prevalent type of ovarian cancer. Previous studies have elucidated different pathways for the progress 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 EOC. The current study aimed to determine the frequency of the BRAF V۶۰۰E mutation in ovarian serous and mucinous tumors, including borderline and carcinoma subtypes.Methods: A total of ۵۷ 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 ۵۷ normal ovarian tissues were collected. The BRAF V۶۰۰E mutation was analyzed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing.Results: While ۴۰% of the SBT harbor BRAF mutation, we found no BRAF mutation in the invasive serous carcinoma (P=۰.۰۱۷). Also, there was only ۱ 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 ۲ 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.

کلیدواژه ها:

BRAF V۶۰۰E mutation ، Direct Sequencing ، Epithelial Ovarian Cancer