Lack of BRAF activating mutations in prostate adenocarcinoma: a study of 93 cases.

Oncogenic activating mutations in the cytosolic serine/threonine kinase, BRAF, have been reported in a variety of neoplasms. BRAF relays signals from membrane-bound RAS downstream through the MAP/ERK (mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase) signaling pathway. The presence of BRAF activating mutations suggests the importance of the MAP/ERK kinase pathway for tumor growth and points to possible therapeutic interventions. Recently, BRAF mutations were reported to characterize a series of prostate adenocarcinomas. In this study, we used DNA melting analysis with high-resolution technology to screen a series of 93 prostate carcinomas for BRAF mutations. None were found. This suggests that BRAF mutations may not play an important role in the oncogenesis or therapy of prostate adenocarcinoma.