The High Frequency of PIK3CA Mutations in Iranian Breast Cancer Patients

ABSTRACT

In breast cancer, somatic mutations of PIK3CA oncogene are common. We investigated the mutational status of exons 9 and 20 of the PIK3CA gene by polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing in 80 breast tumors, and observed that 45% of these contained PIK3CA mutations in the mentioned exons. These mutations were found more in progesterone receptor positive and Her2– tumors, but this association did not reach a statistically significant level. Also, we observed a significant association between PIK3CA mutations and low-grade tumors. In our study, PIK3CA mutations were related to good and moderate prognosis in breast cancer patients.

KEYWORDS:

• Breast cancer
• PIK3CA
• somatic mutation

Acknowledgments

This study was the part of a MS thesis supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Grant No. 27111). Tumor samples and their clinicopathological data were provided by the Iran National Tumor Bank for Cancer Research, which is funded by the Cancer Institute of Tehran University.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.