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Heterogenous amplification of myc family oncogenes in small cell lung carcinoma
Author(s) -
Noguchi Masayuki,
Hirohashi Setsuo,
Hara Futoshi,
Kojima Akira,
Shimosato Yukio,
Shinkai Tetsu,
Tsuchiya Ryosuke
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19901115)66:10<2053::aid-cncr2820661002>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - gene duplication , medicine , lymph node , lung , pathology , lung cancer , carcinoma , gene , southern blot , autopsy , cancer research , biology , genetics
One hundred forty‐two foci of small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) from 47 patients were examined for amplification of myc family oncogenes (c‐ myc , N‐ myc , and L‐ myc ), by dot blot hybridization using formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded materials which were resected surgically or obtained at autopsy. Some selected patients were also examined by in situ hybridization. Amplification of myc family genes was detected in 11 patients (23.4%) (c‐ myc in one, N‐ myc in five, and L‐ myc in five). Two of the 11 patients (one with N‐ myc and one with L‐ myc ) had heterogenously amplified clones. in the patient with N‐ myc amplification, amplification was detected in metastatic tumors in the pancreas, lung, and pleura, but not in the liver and lymph node metastases. in the primary tumor, areas with and without N‐ myc amplification were seen. in the patient with L‐ myc amplification, although amplification was not detected in the surgically resected primary lesion, mediastinal lymph node metastatic lesions obtained at autopsy showed L‐ myc gene amplification. These two cases, together with previously reported evidence, suggest that myc gene amplification plays an important role in malignant progression, rather than development, of SCLC. in Stage III and IV groups, patients with over ten‐fold myc gene amplification were suggested to survive for a shorter time than patients without such amplification ( P = 0.06).