A survey of APC mutations in Quebec

This is an 11-year survey of molecular analysis of APC germline mutations for the province of Quebec done at the Molecular Pathology Unit of the Jewish General Hospital which offers genetic testing for hereditary forms of colorectal cancer for the whole of Quebec province. We report on 47 unique mutations seen in 66 families affected with familial adenomatous polyposis. Of these unique mutations, 60% are short indels, 28% are point mutations, and 6% are whole exon deletions. The absence of founder mutations and the variety of mutations encountered reinforce the value of RNA-based testing and the need for gene dosage techniques such as multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification.