Oncogenesis and the Clinical Significance of K-ras in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Abstract

The RAS family genes encode small GTP-binding cytoplasmic proteins. Activated KRAS engages multipleeffector pathways, notably the RAF-mitogen-activated protein kinase, phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) andRalGDS pathways. In the clinical field, K-ras oncogene activation is frequently found in human cancers and thusmay serve as a potential diagnostic marker for cancer cells in circulation. This mini-review aims to summariseinformation on Ras-induced oncogenesis and the clinical significance of K-ras.