Amplification of protooncogenes in surgical specimens of human lung carcinomas

The possible existence of amplification or rearrangement of protooncogenes was examined in more than 100 surgical specimens of human lung carcinoma. Protooncogenes were amplified in 28% of the carcinomas. About 90% of the amplified genes were of the myc, ras, or erbB family. Of the myc family genes, myc was amplified in 14 of 137 tumors and L-myc in four of 108 tumors, but N-myc was not amplified. A high frequency of amplification of myc was observed in squamous cell carcinomas (seven of 37) and of L-myc in small cell carcinomas (two of six). Of the ras family genes, K-ras-2 was amplified in six of the 137 tumors and N-ras in two of the 137 tumors, but no amplification of H-ras-1 was detected. Seven of the eight cases of amplified ras genes were in advanced pathological stages. Of the erbB family genes, erbB-1 (epidermal growth factor receptor) was amplified in 10 of 114 tumors and erbB-2 (HER-2/neu) in one of 51 tumors. Amplifications of the myc, ras, and erbB family genes might be one of the crucial DNA abnormalities involved in the development of human lung carcinomas.