K-ras mutations in sinonasal adenocarcinomas in patients occupationally exposed to wood or leather dust

Of 39 males diagnosed with sinonasal adenocarcinomas over 30 years in the Lund University Hospital catchment area (1.5 million inhabitants), archival tumor tissue was available from 29. Of these, 16 had been exposed to wood dust and three had been exposed to leather dust. The intestinal-type and papillary adenocarcinomas were more common in the exposed patients (P=0.0002, Fisherʹs exact test). The tumors from all but one of the 29 sinonasal adenocarcinomas could be analyzed for point mutations at codons 12, 13 and 61 of the K-ras gene. Four mutations were detected in the 28 tumors. The three mutations in the patients exposed to wood and leather dust were all G:C→A:T transitions, with two at position 2 of codon 12 and one at position 2 of codon 13. The high proportion of G:C→A:T mutations in this rare tumor may reflect a genotoxic agent in wood and leather dust.