BRAF

Gene Summary

Gene:BRAF; B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinase
Aliases: NS7, B-raf, BRAF1, RAFB1, B-RAF1
Location:7q34
Summary:This gene encodes a protein belonging to the RAF family of serine/threonine protein kinases. This protein plays a role in regulating the MAP kinase/ERK signaling pathway, which affects cell division, differentiation, and secretion. Mutations in this gene, most commonly the V600E mutation, are the most frequently identified cancer-causing mutations in melanoma, and have been identified in various other cancers as well, including non-Hodgkin lymphoma, colorectal cancer, thyroid carcinoma, non-small cell lung carcinoma, hairy cell leukemia and adenocarcinoma of lung. Mutations in this gene are also associated with cardiofaciocutaneous, Noonan, and Costello syndromes, which exhibit overlapping phenotypes. A pseudogene of this gene has been identified on the X chromosome. [provided by RefSeq, Aug 2017]
Databases:OMIM, HGNC, Ensembl, GeneCard, Gene
Protein:serine/threonine-protein kinase B-raf
Source:NCBIAccessed: 31 August, 2019

Ontology:

What does this gene/protein do?
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Pathways:What pathways are this gene/protein implicaed in?
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Cancer Overview

Research Indicators

Publications Per Year (1994-2019)
Graph generated 31 August 2019 using data from PubMed using criteria.

Literature Analysis

Mouse over the terms for more detail; many indicate links which you can click for dedicated pages about the topic.

Tag cloud generated 31 August, 2019 using data from PubMed, MeSH and CancerIndex

Specific Cancers (5)

Data table showing topics related to specific cancers and associated disorders. Scope includes mutations and abnormal protein expression.

Note: list is not exhaustive. Number of papers are based on searches of PubMed (click on topic title for arbitrary criteria used).

Latest Publications: BRAF (cancer-related)

Shao K, Wang Y, Xue Q, et al.
Clinicopathological features and prognosis of ciliated muconodular papillary tumor.
J Cardiothorac Surg. 2019; 14(1):143 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
BACKGROUNDS: The pulmonary ciliated muconodular papillary tumor (CMPT) is a very rare tumor with only several case reports in published literatures, and its clinicopathological features, standard treatment methods and prognosis has not been well defined.
METHODS: Two cases of CMPT diagnosed and treated in our hospital and 39 cases reported in the published literature were analyzed retrospectively.
RESULTS: The cohort of 41 CMPT patients comprised of 20 males and 21 females, aged 9-84 years. The diameter of the primary tumor was 0.3-4.5 cm. Most of these lesions were subsolid nodules, as observed on computed tomography and easily misdiagnosed as early lung adenocarcinoma. Tumors of 26 patients were stained by immunohistochemistry method, which revealed that CK7, CEA, and TTF-1 were positive and CK20 was negative in most patients. The results of gene alternation demonstrated mutations in EGFR, KRAS, and BRAF and ALK rearrangements in CMPT. All the patients underwent surgical treatment and did not receive postoperative adjuvant therapy. The follow-up duration was 0-120 months, and no case of tumor recurrence was found until the final follow-up.
CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of CMPT was low and rate of image misdiagnosis high. Immunohistochemistry is helpful for accurate diagnosis of CMPT. Sub-lobectomy may be proper and adjuvant treatment should be avoided since the disease is now prone to benign lesions. Furthermore, since the biological behavior of this tumor is not yet fully elucidated, additional case data are essential for accurate conclusions.

Ito M, Miyata Y, Hirano S, et al.
Synchronicity of genetic variants between primary sites and metastatic lymph nodes, and prognostic impact in nodal metastatic lung adenocarcinoma.
J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2019; 145(9):2325-2333 [PubMed] Related Publications
PURPOSE: Nodal positive lung adenocarcinoma includes wide range of survival. Several methods for the classification of nodal-positive lung cancer have been proposed. However, classification considering the impact of targetable genetic variants are lacking. The possibility of genetic variants for the better stratification of nodal positive lung adenocarcinoma was estimated.
METHODS: Mutations of 36 genes between primary sites and metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) were compared using next-generation sequencing. Subsequently, mutations in EGFR and BRAF, rearrangements in ALK and ROS1 were evaluated in 69 resected pN1-2M0 adenocarcinoma cases. Recurrence-free survival (RFS), post-recurrence survival (PRS), and overall survival (OS) were evaluated with respect to targetable variants and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy after recurrence.
RESULTS: About 90% of variants were shared and allele frequencies were similar between primary and metastatic sites. In 69 pN1-2M0 cases, EGFR/ALK were positive in primary sites of 39 cases and same EGFR/ALK variants were confirmed in metastatic LNs of 96.7% tissue-available cases. Multivariate analyses indicated positive EGFR/ALK status was associated with worse RFS (HR 2.366; 95% CI 1.244-4.500; P = 0.009), and PRS was prolonged in cases receiving TKI therapy (no post-recurrence TKI therapies, HR 3.740; 95% CI 1.449-9.650; P = 0.006). OS did not differ with respect to targetable variants or TKI therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: Cases harbouring targetable genetic variants had a higher risk of recurrence, but PRS was prolonged by TKI therapy. Classification according to the targetable genetic status provides a basis for predicting recurrence and determining treatment strategies after recurrence.

Yoo SK, Song YS, Lee EK, et al.
Integrative analysis of genomic and transcriptomic characteristics associated with progression of aggressive thyroid cancer.
Nat Commun. 2019; 10(1):2764 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) and advanced differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) show fatal outcomes, unlike DTCs. Here, we demonstrate mutational landscape of 27 ATCs and 86 advanced DTCs by massively-parallel DNA sequencing, and transcriptome of 13 ATCs and 12 advanced DTCs were profiled by RNA sequencing. TERT, AKT1, PIK3CA, and EIF1AX were frequently co-mutated with driver genes (BRAF

Yoon G, Park JY, Kim HJ, et al.
ARID3A Positivity Correlated With Favorable Prognosis in Patients With Residual Rectal Cancer After Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy.
Anticancer Res. 2019; 39(6):2845-2853 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND/AIM: Recent studies have shown a marked increase of AT-rich interactive domain 3A (ARID3A) in colon cancer tissue compared to normal colon mucosa. However, the role of ARID3A has not yet been determined in rectal cancer. We, therefore, investigated the clinical relevance of ARID3A expression in patients with residual rectal cancer after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NACRT).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred thirty-four patients who underwent surgical resection for residual rectal cancer after NACRT were analyzed. ARID3A expression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry on whole-tissue sections. KRAS exon 2 (codons 12 and 13) and BRAF V600E mutation status were determined using polymerase chain reaction.
RESULTS: ARID3A positivity was found in 91 cases (64.5%), and it correlated with absence of perineural invasion (p=0.031), longer disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.048) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) (p=0.006). However, ARID3A positivity was not correlated with KRAS (p=0.231) or BRAF mutation status (p=0.577). In multivariate analysis, ARID3A positivity was independently associated with a favorable CSS (p=0.035), but not DFS (p=0.051).
CONCLUSION: ARID3A positivity can predict favorable prognosis in patients with residual rectal cancer after NACRT.

Coppé JP, Mori M, Pan B, et al.
Mapping phospho-catalytic dependencies of therapy-resistant tumours reveals actionable vulnerabilities.
Nat Cell Biol. 2019; 21(6):778-790 [PubMed] Related Publications
Phosphorylation networks intimately regulate mechanisms of response to therapies. Mapping the phospho-catalytic profile of kinases in cells or tissues remains a challenge. Here, we introduce a practical high-throughput system to measure the enzymatic activity of kinases using biological peptide targets as phospho-sensors to reveal kinase dependencies in tumour biopsies and cell lines. A 228-peptide screen was developed to detect the activity of >60 kinases, including ABLs, AKTs, CDKs and MAPKs. Focusing on BRAF

Kim HS, Kim KM, Lee SB, et al.
Clinicopathological and biomolecular characteristics of stage IIB/IIC and stage IIIA colon cancer: Insight into the survival paradox.
J Surg Oncol. 2019; 120(3):423-430 [PubMed] Related Publications
BACKGROUND: A survival paradox of stage IIB/IIC and IIIA colon cancer has been consistently observed throughout revisions of the TNM system. This study aimed to understand this paradox with clinicopathological and molecular differences.
METHODS: Clinicopathological characteristics of patients with pathologically confirmed stage IIB/IIC or IIIA colon cancer were retrospectively reviewed from a database. Publicly available molecular data were retrieved, and intrinsic subtypes were identified and subjected to gene sets enrichment analysis (GSEA).
RESULTS: Among the 159 patients included in the clinicopathological analysis, those at stage IIB/IIC had worse 3-year disease-free and overall survival than those at stage IIIA (59.3% vs 91.7%, P < 0.001 and 82.7% vs 98.5%, P < 0.001, respectively), even after adjusting for confounding factors. Data of 95 patients were retrieved from public databases, demonstrating a higher frequency of the microsatellite instable subtype in stage IIB/IIC. The consensus molecular subtype distribution pattern differed between the groups. The GSEA further suggested the protumor inflammatory reaction might be more prominent in stage IIB/IIC.
CONCLUSIONS: The survival paradox in colon cancer was confirmed and appears to be a multifactorial phenomenon not attributed to a single clinicopathologic factor. However, the greater molecular heterogeneity in stage IIB/IIC could contribute to the poor prognosis.

Staněk L, Gürlich R, Hajer J, et al.
Molecular pathology of cholangiocellular carcinomas.
Cas Lek Cesk. 2019; 158(2):64-67 [PubMed] Related Publications
Cholangiocellular carcinoma is a relatively rare malignant tumor, originating from cholangiocytes, with poor prognosis and late diagnosis. It is a malignancy with a variable biological etiology, numerous genetic and epigenetic changes. Its incidence in the Czech Republic is about 1.4 per 100,000 people per year. For good prognosis and long-term survival, early diagnosis with surgical treatment is important. In these cases, a 5-year survival rate is about 20-40 %. In the early diagnosis imaging methods and histopathological verification play an essential role, whereas laboratory oncomarkers are not yet sufficiently accurate. The same applies for genetic markers. This leads to the search of new molecular targets and the high effort in the introduction of cytological and molecular-biological methods with high specificity and sensitivity into routine practice. Current early diagnosis is based on the use of efficient imaging methods. The use of genetic testing, and especially knowledge of the molecular basis of this disease, will be of a great benefit. The observation of the association between the genetic pathways, IDH1, RAS-MAPK etc., and genetic mutations of genes, such as TP53, KRAS, SMAD4, BRAF, IDH1/2, may be significant. From the molecular point of view, it is also interesting to monitor oncogenic potential in HBV/HCV infection.

Zhu LX, Liu Q, Hua YF, et al.
Systematic Profiling and Evaluation of Structure-based Kinase-Inhibitor Interactome in Cervical Cancer by Integrating In Silico Analyses and In Vitro Assays at Molecular and Cellular Levels.
Comput Biol Chem. 2019; 80:324-332 [PubMed] Related Publications
Various protein kinases are implicated in the pathogenesis of human cervical cancer and many kinase inhibitors have been used to regulate the activity of protein kinases involved in the disease signaling networks. In the present study, a systematic kinase-inhibitor interactome is created for various small-molecule inhibitors across diverse cervical cancer-related kinases by using ontology enrichment, molecular docking, dynamics simulation and energetics analysis. The interactome profile is examined in detail with heatmap analysis and heuristic clustering to derive promising inhibitors that are highly potential to target the kinome of human cervical cancer in a multi-target manner. A number of hit and unhit inhibitors are selected and their cell-suppressing effects are tested against human cervical carcinoma HeLa, from which several inhibitor compounds with high cytotoxicity are successfully identified. A further kinase assay confirms that these inhibitors can generally target their noncognate kinases HER3 and BRaf in cervical cancer with a high or moderate activity; the activity profile are comparable with or even better than that of cognate kinases inhibitors, with IC

Jiang D, Wang X, Wang Y, et al.
Mutation in BRAF and SMAD4 associated with resistance to neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy in locally advanced rectal cancer.
Virchows Arch. 2019; 475(1):39-47 [PubMed] Related Publications
Our study was done in order to identify novel molecular markers to predict which locally advanced rectal cancers (LARCs) might be resistant to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT). Seventy-four patients with LARCs treated with nCRT were collected. Pathological evaluation after nCRT was performed according to the tumor regression grading (TRG) system. Next-generation sequencing kit including 279 exons of 59 genes was performed on Illumina Miseq Platform. Sanger sequencing was performed to confirm some mutations. Four of the tumors (4/74, 5.4%) had BRAF mutation, which presented in one TRG 2 tumor and three TRG 3 tumors but was not observed in TRG 0-1 tumors. Higher mutational frequency of BRAF gene in TRG 3 tumors (3/12, 25%) was found in comparison with the TRG 0-2 tumors (1/62, 1.6%; p = 0.012). Eight tumors (8/74, 10.8%) harbored SMAD4 mutations, which was mutated across all TRG groups. However, SMAD4 mutated more in TRG 3 tumors (4/12, 33.3%) compared with that in TRG 0-2 tumors (4/62, 6.5%; p = 0.020). The patients with BRAF-mutated LARCs had shorter progression-free survival (PFS) (p = 0.045) and shorter overall survival (OS) (p = 0.000) than the BRAF wild-type (WT) ones. The patients with SMAD4-mutated tumors had shorter PFS than the WT cases (p = 0.008). BRAF and SMAD4 genetic mutations might be important molecular markers to predict resistance to nCRT and poor prognosis in LARCs. More cases are needed to confirm these findings in the near future.

Sale MJ, Balmanno K, Saxena J, et al.
MEK1/2 inhibitor withdrawal reverses acquired resistance driven by BRAF
Nat Commun. 2019; 10(1):2030 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Acquired resistance to MEK1/2 inhibitors (MEKi) arises through amplification of BRAF

Censi S, Barollo S, Grespan E, et al.
Prognostic significance of TERT promoter and BRAF mutations in TIR-4 and TIR-5 thyroid cytology.
Eur J Endocrinol. 2019; 181(1):1-11 [PubMed] Related Publications
Objective: Follicular-derived thyroid cancers generally have a good prognosis, but in a minority of cases, they have an aggressive behavior and develop distant metastases, with an increase in the associated mortality. None of the prognostic markers currently available prior to surgery can identify such cases.
Methods: TERT promoter and BRAF gene mutations were examined in a series of 436 consecutive TIR-4 and TIR-5 nodes referred for surgery. Follow-up (median: 59 months, range: 7-293 months) was available for 384/423 patients with malignant nodes.
Results: TERT promoter and BRAF mutations were detected in 20/436 (4.6%) and 257/434 thyroid nodules (59.2%), respectively. At the end of the follow-up, 318/384 patients (82.8%) had an excellent outcome, 48/384 (12.5%) had indeterminate response or biochemical persistence, 18/384 (4.7%) had a structural persistence or died from thyroid cancer. TERT promoter mutations correlated with older age (P < 0.0001), larger tumor size (P = 0.0002), oxyntic and aggressive PTC variants (P = 0.01), higher tumor stages (P < 0.0001), distant metastases (<0.0001) and disease outcome (P < 0.0001). At multivariate analysis, TERT promoter mutation was not an independent predictor of disease outcome. TERT promoter mutation- (OR: 40.58; 95% CI: 3.06-539.04), and N1b lymph node metastases (OR: 40.16, 95% CI: 3.48-463.04) were independent predictors of distant metastases. BRAF mutation did not predict the outcome, and it correlated with a lower incidence of distant metastases (P = 0.0201).
Conclusions: TERT promoter mutation proved an independent predictor of distant metastases, giving clinicians the chance to identify many of the patients who warranted more aggressive initial treatment and closer follow-up.

Liang W, Guo M, Pan Z, et al.
Association between certain non-small cell lung cancer driver mutations and predictive markers for chemotherapy or programmed death-ligand 1 inhibition.
Cancer Sci. 2019; 110(6):2014-2021 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
This study aimed to analyze the association between driver mutations and predictive markers for some anti-tumor agents in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A cohort of 785 Chinese patients with NSCLC who underwent resection from March 2016 to November 2017 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University was investigated. The specimens were subjected to hybridization capture and sequence of 8 important NSCLC-related driver genes. In addition, the slides were tested for PD-L1, excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1), ribonucleotide reductase subunit M1 (RRM1), thymidylate synthase (TS) and β-tubulin III by immunohistochemical staining. A total of 498 (63.4%) patients had at least 1 driver gene alteration. Wild-type, EGFR rare mutation (mut), ALK fusion (fus), RAS mut, RET fus and MET mut had relatively higher proportions of lower ERCC1 expression. EGFR 19del, EGFR L858R, EGFR rare mut, ALK fus, HER2 mut, ROS1 fus and MET mut were more likely to have TS low expression. Wild-type, EGFR L858R, EGFR rare mut and BRAF mut were associated with lower β-tubulin III expression. In addition, wild-type, RAS mut, ROS1 fus, BRAF and MET mut had higher proportion of PD-L1 high expression. As a pilot validation, 21 wild-type patients with advanced NSCLC showed better depth of response and response rate to taxanes compared with pemetrexed/gemcitabine (31.2%/60.0% vs 26.6%/45.5%). Our study may aid in selecting the optimal salvage regimen after targeted therapy failure, or the chemo-regimen where targeted therapy has not been a routine option. Further validation is warranted.

Dong F, Yang Q, Wu Z, et al.
Identification of survival-related predictors in hepatocellular carcinoma through integrated genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2019; 114:108856 [PubMed] Related Publications
Patient survival time generally reflects the tumor progression and represents a key clinical parameter. In this study, we aimed to comprehensively characterize the prognosis-associated molecular alterations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, copy-number changes, gene mutations, mRNA expression, and reverse phase protein arrays data in HCC samples profiled by The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were obtained. Tumors were then stratified into two groups based on the clinical outcome and identified genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic traits associated to HCC prognosis. We found that several copy number amplifications and deletions can discriminate HCC patients with poor prognosis from those with better prognosis. Mutated DNAH8 showed a worse prognosis-specific pattern and correlated with a reduced disease-free survival in HCC. By integrating RNA sequencing data, we found that HCC samples with poor prognosis are consistently associated with the up-regulation of cell cycle process, such as chromosome separation, DNA replication, cytokinesis, and etc. At the proteomic level, seven proteins were significantly enriched in samples with poor prognosis, including acetylated α-Tubulin, p62-LCK-ligand, ARID1 A, MSH6, B-Raf, Cyclin B1, and PEA15. Acetylated α-Tubulin was frequently expressed in HCC tissues and acted as a promising prognostic factor for HCC. These alterations lay a foundation for developing relevant therapeutic strategies and improve our knowledge of the pathogenesis of HCC.

Li S, Song Y, Quach C, et al.
Transcriptional regulation of autophagy-lysosomal function in BRAF-driven melanoma progression and chemoresistance.
Nat Commun. 2019; 10(1):1693 [PubMed] Free Access to Full Article Related Publications
Autophagy maintains homeostasis and is induced upon stress. Yet, its mechanistic interaction with oncogenic signaling remains elusive. Here, we show that in BRAF

Jankovic R, J Goncalves H, Cavic M, et al.
LungCARD - Report on worldwide research and clinical practices related to lung cancer.
J BUON. 2019 Jan-Feb; 24(1):11-19 [PubMed] Related Publications
PURPOSE: The management of advanced lung cancer has evolved tremendously over the past two decades. Increasing understanding of the molecular changes that drive tumor progression has transformed the treatment of this disease. Nevertheless, various countries differ in the degree of implementation of genetic tests and the availability of innovative drugs. The LungCARD consortium created a questionnaire to collect information about the local research and clinical practices related to lung cancer diagnosis and therapy.
METHODS: A survey composed of 37 questions related to specific lung cancer pharmacogenomics and therapy, was distributed among 18 countries.
RESULTS: All together 36 responses were gathered, answered mainly by clinicians. The majority attends 50-200 cancer cases per month, 20-50% of all cancer cases are lung cancer patients, and more than 80% are with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Targeted therapy is applied to 50% on average of all NSCLC patients. Forty five percent of participating medical oncologists are treating their patients with immunotherapy. More than 90% of the respondents are guided by results of genetic tests in introducing targeted treatment. As expected, the majority orders EGFR gene testing (85%), followed by ALK (58%) and KRAS testing (32%). Almost all (96%) agreed that more biomarkers should be included in routine genetic testing (ROS1, anti-PDL1, KRAS, MET, HER2, BRAF...), and that blood test is useful in pharmacogenomic testing.
CONCLUSION: There is a great variation between countries with respect to all discussed topics. However, the majority recognized a necessity of introducing next generation sequencing (NGS)-based diagnostics and potential of testing from blood. The biggest problem in the treatment of NSCLC is still an access to innovative drugs.

Rao S, Kanuri NN, Nimbalkar V, et al.
High frequency of H3K27M immunopositivity in adult thalamic glioblastoma.
Neuropathology. 2019; 39(2):78-84 [PubMed] Related Publications
Adult thalamic glioblastomas (GBM) are uncommon tumors with limited available molecular data. One of the reported molecular alterations in these tumors is the H3K27M mutation. It has been documented that H3K27M mutation is found in a high proportion of pediatric thalamic gliomas. In this study, we have analyzed the molecular alterations exclusive to adult thalamic GBM. This is a 6 years retrospective study of adult thalamic GBM patients who underwent surgical decompression of the tumor. Clinical data were obtained from the case records. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on the tumors using antibodies directed against the gene products of R132H mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1), alpha-thalassemia/mental retardation X-linked (ATRX), p53, H3K27M, H3K27me3, and V600E mutant BRAF. Molecular analyses were carried out to detect other IDH1 and IDH2 mutations, O

Lombard DB, Cierpicki T, Grembecka J
Combined MAPK Pathway and HDAC Inhibition Breaks Melanoma.
Cancer Discov. 2019; 9(4):469-471 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
In this issue, Maertens and colleagues demonstrate that HDAC3 inhibition potentiates the effects of MAPK pathway inhibitors in melanoma, including difficult-to-treat

Zhao B, You Y, Wan Z, et al.
Weighted correlation network and differential expression analyses identify candidate genes associated with BRAF gene in melanoma.
BMC Med Genet. 2019; 20(1):54 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Primary cutaneous malignant melanoma is a cancer of the pigment cells of the skin, some of which are accompanied by BRAF mutation. Melanoma incidence and mortality rates have been rising around the world. As the current knowledge about pathogenesis, clinical and genetic features of cutaneous melanoma is not very clear, we aim to use bioinformatics to identify the potential key genes involved in the expression and mutation status of BRAF.
METHODS: Firstly, we used UCSC public hub datasets of melanoma (Lin et al., Cancer Res 68(3):664, 2008) to perform weighted genes co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed genes analysis (DEGs), respectively. Secondly, overlapping genes between significant gene modules and DEGs were screened and validated at transcriptional levels and overall survival in TCGA and GTEx datasets. Lastly, the functional enrichment analysis was accomplished to find biological functions on the web-server database.
RESULTS: We performed weighted correlation network and differential expression analyses, using gene expression data in melanoma samples. We identified 20 genes whose expression was correlated with the mutation status of BRAF. For further validation, three of these genes (CYR61, DUSP1, and RNASE4) were found to have similar expression patterns in skin tumors from TCGA compared with normal skin samples from GTEx. We also found that weak expression of these three genes was associated with worse overall survival in the TCGA data. These three genes were involved in the nucleic acid metabolic process.
CONCLUSION: In this study, CYR61, DUSP1, and RNASE4 were identified as potential genes of interest for future molecular studies in melanoma, which would improve our understanding of its causes and underlying molecular events. These candidate genes may provide a promising avenue of future research for therapeutic targets in melanoma.

Giorgenon TMV, Carrijo FT, Arruda MA, et al.
Preoperative detection of TERT promoter and BRAFV600E mutations in papillary thyroid carcinoma in high-risk thyroid nodules.
Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019 Mar-Apr; 63(2):107-112 [PubMed] Related Publications
OBJECTIVES: This observational study analyzed telomerase reverse transcriptase (pTERT) mutations in 45 fine-needle aspiration (FNA) specimens obtained from thyroid nodules followed by postoperatively confirmation of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) diagnosis, examining their relationship with clinicopathologic aspects and the BRAFV600E mutation.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Clinical information was collected from patients who presented to Ribeirao Preto University Hospital for surgical consultation regarding a thyroid nodule and who underwent molecular testing between January 2010 to October 2012. Tests included a DNA-based somatic detection of BRAFV600E and pTERT mutations.
RESULTS: We found coexistence of pTERTC228T and BRAFV600E mutations in 8.9% (4/45) of thyroid nodules. All nodules positive for pTERT mutations were BRAFV600E positives. There was a significant association between pTERTC228T/BRAFV600E with older age and advanced stage compared with the group negative for either mutation.
CONCLUSIONS: This series provides evidence that FNA is a reliable method for preoperative diagnosis of high-risk thyroid nodules. pTERTC228T/BRAFV600E mutations could be a marker of poor prognosis. Its use as a personalized molecular medicine tool to individualize treatment decisions and follow-up design needs to be further studied.

Kowalczyk A, Krajczewski J, Kowalik A, et al.
New strategy for the gene mutation identification using surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS).
Biosens Bioelectron. 2019; 132:326-332 [PubMed] Related Publications
An early and accurate diagnosis of a specific DNA mutations has a decisive role for effective treatment. Especially, when an immediate decision on treatment most needs to be made, the rapid and precise confirmation of clinical findings is vital. Herein, we show a new strategy for the gene mutation (BRAF c.1799T>A; p. V600E) identification using highly SERS-active and reproducible SERS substrate (photo-etched GaN covered with a thin layer of sputtered gold) and surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. The detection is based on the conformation change (gauche → trans) of the alkanethiol linker modifying the capture DNA during the hybridization process. The value of the intensity ratio of the ν(C-S) bands of the trans and gauche conformer higher than 1.0 indicated the presence of mutation. The demonstrated new DNA SERS (bio)sensor is characterized by the low detection limit at the level of pg μL

Camargo Barros-Filho M, Barreto Menezes de Lima L, Bisarro Dos Reis M, et al.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20(6) [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Despite the low mortality rates, well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas (WDTC) frequently relapse.

Chen M, Xu Y, Zhao J, et al.
Concurrent Driver Gene Mutations as Negative Predictive Factors in Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor-Positive Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
EBioMedicine. 2019; 42:304-310 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are clinically effective in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients harbouring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) oncogene mutations. Genetic factors, other than EGFR sensitive mutations, that allow prognosis of TKI treatment remain undefined.
METHODS: We retrospectively screened 423 consecutive patients with advanced NSCLC and EGFR 19del or 21L858R mutations. A total of 71 patients whose progression-free survivals (PFS) were shorter than 6 months or longer than 24 months were included and stratified into separate groups. Genetic background discrepancy was analysed in the two groups using next generation sequencing (NGS).
FINDINGS: Sensitive EGFR mutations of 19del or 21L858R were detected by NGS in all patients; the 21L858R mutation was the major type. The most frequent accompanying somatic mutations were TP53, RB1, MAP2K. ALK fusion, MET amplification, and BRAF V600E were found only in the short PFS group. Concurrent pretreament T790 M mutation was found in both groups, but was proportionally higher in the short PFS group. In the short PFS group, patients had significantly more driver gene mutations than in long PFS group (P = 0·018). The numbers of concomitant somatic mutations, EGFR pathway-related mutations, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) were not significantly different between the two groups.
INTERPRETATION: Co-occuring driver gene mutations were negative predictive factors of TKI therapy in EGFR-mutated patients. This study highlights the importance of exploring co-occuring genomic alterations before initiation of EGFR-TKIs.

Cardus B, Colling R, Hamblin A, Soilleux E
Comparison of methodologies for the detection of
J Clin Pathol. 2019; 72(6):406-411 [PubMed] Related Publications

Nagasu S, Sudo T, Kinugasa T, et al.
Y‑box‑binding protein 1 inhibits apoptosis and upregulates EGFR in colon cancer.
Oncol Rep. 2019; 41(5):2889-2896 [PubMed] Related Publications
Y‑box‑binding protein 1 (YB‑1) is a DNA/RNA‑-binding protein and an important transcription and translation factor in carcinogenesis. However, the biological function and molecular correlation of YB‑1 in colorectal cancer are not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to determine the significance of YB‑1 expression and its biological role in colorectal cancer. Cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis were examined upon knockdown of YB‑1 expression in different colon cancer cell lines that had different genetic backgrounds. Since the properties of different colon cancer cell lines with specific RAS/RAF gene mutations downstream epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) may differ from wild‑type colorectal cancer, it is critical to study the role of YB‑1 with respect to the mutational status of RAS. The results indicated that the suppression of YB‑1 decreased cell proliferation (P<0.05) and migration (P<0.05) regardless of the status of RAS/RAF in the HT29, HCT116 and CaCo2 cell lines. In contrast, YB‑1 knockdown altered the expression of apoptosis‑related genes and the expression of EGFR was detected in the cell lines expressing wild‑type RAS/RAF but not in those expressing mutated RAS/RAF. These results indicated that YB‑1 plays an important role in cell proliferation, migration, apoptosis and EGFR expression in colorectal cancer. Furthermore, apoptosis and EGFR expression may be affected by the mutational status of RAS/RAF and controlled through YB‑1.

Yozu M, Kumarasinghe MP, Brown IS, et al.
Australasian Gastrointestinal Pathology Society (AGPS) consensus guidelines for universal defective mismatch repair testing in colorectal carcinoma.
Pathology. 2019; 51(3):233-239 [PubMed] Related Publications
Lynch syndrome is the most common hereditary form of colorectal carcinoma caused by a constitutional pathogenic mutation in a DNA mismatch repair gene. Identifying Lynch syndrome is essential to initiate intensive surveillance program for the patient and affected relatives. On behalf of the Australasian Gastrointestinal Pathology Society (AGPS), we present in this manuscript consensus guidelines for Lynch syndrome screening in patients with colorectal carcinoma. The goal of this consensus document is to provide recommendations to pathologists for diagnosis of Lynch syndrome with discussion of the benefits and limitations of each test. Universal screening for defective mismatch repair is recommended, in agreement with the recent endorsement of universal testing by the National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia and the New Zealand Ministry of Health. The value of evaluating defective mismatch repair is acknowledged not only for Lynch syndrome screening but also for therapeutic decision information in patient management. AGPS advocates appropriate government funding for the molecular tests necessary for Lynch syndrome screening (BRAF mutation, MLH1 methylation testing).

Newman S, Fan L, Pribnow A, et al.
Clinical genome sequencing uncovers potentially targetable truncations and fusions of MAP3K8 in spitzoid and other melanomas.
Nat Med. 2019; 25(4):597-602 [PubMed] Related Publications
Spitzoid melanoma is a specific morphologic variant of melanoma that most commonly affects children and adolescents, and ranges on the spectrum of malignancy from low grade to overtly malignant. These tumors are generally driven by fusions of ALK, RET, NTRK1/3, MET, ROS1 and BRAF

Myers MB, McKim KL, Banda M, et al.
Low-Frequency Mutational Heterogeneity of Invasive Ductal Carcinoma Subtypes: Information to Direct Precision Oncology.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20(5) [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Information regarding the role of low-frequency hotspot cancer-driver mutations (CDMs) in breast carcinogenesis and therapeutic response is limited. Using the sensitive and quantitative Allele-specific Competitor Blocker PCR (ACB-PCR) approach, mutant fractions (MFs) of six CDMs (

Álvaro E, Cano JM, García JL, et al.
Clinical and Molecular Comparative Study of Colorectal Cancer Based on Age-of-onset and Tumor Location: Two Main Criteria for Subclassifying Colorectal Cancer.
Int J Mol Sci. 2019; 20(4) [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
Our aim was to characterize and validate that the location and age of onset of the tumor are both important criteria to classify colorectal cancer (CRC). We analyzed clinical and molecular characteristics of early-onset CRC (EOCRC) and late-onset CRC (LOCRC), and we compared each tumor location between both ages-of-onset. In right-sided colon tumors, early-onset cases showed extensive Lynch syndrome (LS) features, with a relatively low frequency of chromosomal instability (CIN), but a high CpG island methylation phenotype. Nevertheless, late-onset cases showed predominantly sporadic features and microsatellite instability cases due to

Wan XB, Wang AQ, Cao J, et al.
Relationships among
World J Gastroenterol. 2019; 25(7):808-823 [PubMed] Article available free on PMC after 01/04/2020 Related Publications
BACKGROUND: The RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathways all belong to mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways, Mutations in any one of the upstream genes (such as the
AIM: To investigate the
METHODS: Colorectal cancer tissue specimens from 196 patients were analyzed for
RESULTS: Of the 196 patients, 62 (32%) carried mutations in codon 12 (53/62) or codon 13 (9/62) in exon 2 of the

Kimeswenger S, Mann U, Hoeller C, et al.
Vemurafenib impairs the repair of ultraviolet radiation-induced DNA damage.
Melanoma Res. 2019; 29(2):134-144 [PubMed] Related Publications
Targeted therapy with the BRAF inhibitors vemurafenib and dabrafenib is an effective treatment regimen in patients with advanced melanoma carrying the BRAF V600E mutation. A common side effect is an enhanced rate of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC). BRAF inhibition leads to a paradoxical enhanced MAPK signalling in BRAF wild-type cells, which might in part be responsible for the enhanced NMSC burden. It is known that disturbances of DNA repair result in an increased rate of NMSC. In the present study, it was investigated whether BRAF inhibitors might interfere with the repair of ultraviolet radiation-induced DNA damage in vitro. Epidermal keratinocytes of 11 Caucasian donors were treated with vemurafenib or dabrafenib and, 24 h later, exposed to ultraviolet A. DNA damage and repair capacity were analysed using south-western slot blot detecting cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers. Using PCR and DNA sequencing, RAS mutations and human papilloma virus genes were investigated. RNA expression was determined using a Gene Expression Chip and qRT-PCR. In 36% of keratinocytes, vemurafenib hampers the repair of ultraviolet A-induced DNA damage. No changes in DNA repair were observed with dabrafenib, indicating a possible substance-specific effect of vemurafenib. In none of the keratinocytes, pre-existing RAS mutations or human papilloma virus-associated DNA sequences were detected. The expression of the interferon-related damage resistance signature is decreased upon vemurafenib treatment in 36% of donors. The enhanced rate of NMSC in patients treated with vemurafenib might be partly related to a vemurafenib-driven impaired capacity for DNA repair.

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