SUMMARY
Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) represents a global health problem. The EGFR signaling pathway is very important in the initiation of different human epithelial cancers and plays a key role in colorectal carcinogenesis. Considering the role of EGFR as a mitogenic inducer, this study aimed to determine the frequency and type of mutations in the EGFR gene and its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics of patients with CRC on the territory of Southeastern Serbia. The genomic DNA of patients was isolated from formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues. The presence of mutations in exons 18, 19, 20, and 21 was determined by the Real-Time PCR method. The frequency of mutations in the EGFR gene in CRC patients of Southeastern Serbia was 7.9%. All detected mutations were G719X. No statistically significant correlation was found between mutational status in the EGFR gene and the clinicopathological characteristics of patients.