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Amplification of the EGF receptor and c‐myc genes in human esophageal cancers
Author(s) -
Lu ShihHsin,
Hsieh LingLing,
Luo FengChi,
Weinstein I. B.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910420406
Subject(s) - esophageal cancer , biology , epidermal growth factor receptor , gene duplication , gene , cancer , cancer research , oncogene , carcinogen , pathogenesis , pathology , polymerase chain reaction , esophagus , medicine , genetics , immunology , cell cycle , anatomy
The incidence of esophageal cancer is extremely high in Linxian County and certain other regions of the People's Republic of China. Epidemiologic and laboratory studies suggest that N‐nitroso carcinogens and other environmental factors play a causative role. In the present study, employing over 100 DNA samples obtained from Lin‐xian patients who underwent surgery for esophageal cancer, we have found a significant frequency of amplification of either the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER‐I) gene or the c ‐ myc oncogene. These changes were found not only in tumor specimens, but also in adjacent non‐tumor (grossly normal) tissue specimens obtained from patients with esophageal cancer. RNA samples were also obtained from over 30 tissue samples. These revealed considerable variation in the abundance of HER‐I and c ‐ myc transcripts in both the tumor and adjacent non‐tumor specimens. A few samples revealed extremely high levels of these transcripts. Thus, changes in gene copy number or level of expression of HER‐I or c ‐ myc DNA sequences may play an important role in the pathogenesis of esophageal cancer in this high‐risk region.