Deletion mapping of chromosome 3p in female genital tract malignancies using microsatellite polymorphisms

We have constructed deletion maps of chromosome 3p for cancers of the female genital tract (uterine endometrium, uterine cervix and ovary). The tumours were tested for loss of heterozygosity using CA-repeat polymorphisms. The high degree of informativeness of these markers allowed the construction of detailed deletion maps from a relatively small number of samples. A common region of deletion was identified at chromosome 3p13-21.1 in endometrial cancer and at 3p13-14.3 in cervical cancer; 5 out of 13 (38%) endometrial cancers and six out of eight (75%) cervical cancers showed loss of heterozygosity at these regions. In ovarian cancer a separate common region of deletion was identified at 3p21.1-22; two out of four (50%) ovarian cancers had alleles deleted at this region. These data suggest the presence of a tumour-suppressor gene(s) for endometrial and cervical cancer at 3p13-21.3 and a separate gene at 3p21.1-22 that is involved in the carcinogenesis of ovarian cancer.