We searched for mutations in the ASXL1, CBL, FLT3, IDH1, IDH2, JAK2, KRAS, NPM1, NRAS, RUNX1, TET2 and WT1 genes in 65 myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and 64 acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) without balanced translocation or complex karyotype. This evidence concerns the gene NRAS and acute myeloid leukemia.