DNA amplification on chromosome 13q31.1 correlated with poor prognosis in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Genetic markers involved in prognosis of colorectal cancer are still being elucidated. In this study, genetic alterations associated with prognosis of colorectal cancer were determined using arbitrarily primed polymerase chain reaction (AP-PCR) and analyzed quantitatively by real-time PCR. Seven different DNA sequences, mapped on chromosomes 13q31.1, 9q31.1, 1q24, 4q31.3, 10q21, 11q13.4, and 13q13.3, were identified. Among these sequences, seven cases (23%) harbored DNA amplification in chromosome 13q31.1, and 9 (29%) and 7 (23%) presented genetic alterations in chromosome 1q24 and 11q13.4, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that only DNA amplification in chromosome 13q31.1 was associated with poor survival among patients with colorectal cancer, with median survival time for chromosome 13q31.1 amplification versus no amplification of 64 versus 268 weeks (P = 0.001). This genetic alteration may have a prognostic role in colorectal cancer.