NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - X-chromosome loss of heterozygosity may predict aggressive growth of gastrinomas, researchers report In the April 1st issue of Cancer.
Dr. Yuan-Jia Chen and colleagues at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland observe that in patients with gastrointestinal endocrine malignancies, tumor growth, rather than hormone aberration, is usually the cause of death. There are no clinical or laboratory markers, however, to identify patients whose tumors are likely to grow more aggressively.
Because X-chromosome loss of heterozygosity is associated with aggressive tumor growth and decreased survival in patients with certain nonendocrine malignancies, the researchers sought to determine whether such an alteration could be identified in patients with gastrinomas, and if so, whether its presence was correlated with tumor behavior and prognosis.
In analyses of gastrinoma tissues from 16 women with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, the investigators found that nine specimens had X-chromosome loss of heterozygosity, which was “significantly associated with aggressive postoperative tumor growth, increased primary tumor size, and pancreatic primaries.”
At the 12 loci analyzed, the loss of heterozygosity ranged from 6 to 23 percent.
These findings, the researchers conclude, “suggest that X-chromosome loss of heterozygosity may provide a useful molecular genetic and clinical prognostic factor for the aggressive growth of gastrinomas.”
Source: Cancer 2004;100:1379-1387 [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Biological Sciences: Biology: Chromosome Aberrations: Chromosome Deletion: Cytogenetics: Genetics: Loss of Heterozygosity: Biological SciencesCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
