PhD Dissertation at Al-Nahrain University College of Medicine Investigates Molecular and Histological Markers of Colorectal Cancer

A PhD dissertation by the doctoral candidate Ahmed Musa Hassan from the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, College of Medicine, Al-Nahrain University, was discussed on Wednesday, September 2, 2026. The dissertation was entitled

Assessment of KRAS and PIK3CA H1047R Mutations and Immunohistochemical Expression of OSBPL3 in Colorectal Cancer (A Clinicopathological Study)

The current study aimed to assess the molecular and histological alterations associated with colorectal cancer among Iraqi patients by identifying KRAS codon 12 mutations and the PIK3CA H1047R mutation using the polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) technique. It also aimed to measure the immunohistochemical expression of OSBPL3 protein and correlate these findings with the patients’ clinical and pathological characteristics.

The prospective study included 72 patients with colorectal cancer, compared with 72 matched controls. Participants were recruited from the Teaching Hospital of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and private laboratories in Baghdad during the period from December 2023 to April 2026. The MvaI/BstNI restriction enzyme was used to detect KRAS mutations, while a mismatch primer with the FspI restriction enzyme was used to detect the PIK3CA H1047R mutation. OSBPL3 protein expression was evaluated using the histological H-score, with a cutoff value of 100 or higher considered indicative of high expression.

The results showed that KRAS codon 12 mutations were detected in 48.6% (35 out of 72) of colorectal cancer cases, with a highly statistically significant difference compared with the control group (p < 0.001). The PIK3CA H1047R mutation was detected in 23.6% (17 out of 72) of cases. The analyses also investigated the co-occurrence of these mutations with alterations in OSBPL3 protein expression and their associations with the clinical and pathological characteristics of the tumors.

In conclusion, the study confirmed the diagnostic and prognostic significance of integrating molecular testing for KRAS and PIK3CA H1047R mutations with the immunohistochemical assessment of OSBPL3 protein expression. This integrated approach may contribute to a better understanding of the molecular pathways involved in colorectal cancer development and help identify relevant biomarkers for diagnosis and clinical assessment of patients.

The discussion committee consisted of:

• Prof. Dr. Mohammed Abdul Mahdi Ismail – Chair

• Prof. Dr. Haider Ahmed Shumran – Member

• Prof. Dr. Qahtan Adnan Mahdi – Member

• Assist. Prof. Dr. Nora Mustafa Kareem – Member

• Assist. Prof. Dr. Mithaq Moeen Najm – Member

• Prof. Dr. Ban Jumaa Qasim – Member and Supervisor

The dissertation was successfully accepted with a grade of Very Good.

Media and Government Communication Division
College of Medicine – Al-Nahrain University