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Microsatellite instability in oral cancer
C S Ishwad1, R E Ferrell, K M Rossie
1Department of Human Genetics, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA.
International Journal of Cancer
|October 20, 1995
Summary
Genomic instability, a marker of DNA repair loss, was found in 7% of oral tumors. This suggests microsatellite instability plays a role in a small fraction of oral cancer development.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genetics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Genomic instability, characterized by microsatellite alterations, is a known cancer mechanism linked to DNA mismatch repair deficiency.
- This deficiency can arise from germ-line mutations (hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer) or somatic loss, observed in various tumor types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the frequency of microsatellite instability in a substantial cohort of oral tumors.
- To assess the role of genomic instability in the pathogenesis of oral cancers.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of microsatellite instability by comparing somatic tumor DNA with peripheral lymphocyte DNA.
- Quantification of alterations in allele sizes at multiple microsatellite loci.
Main Results:
- Out of 91 oral tumors, 6 (7%) exhibited microsatellite instability.
- Instability affected multiple loci (50-74% of loci analyzed), with allele size increases (74%) and decreases (26%).
- The proportion of affected alleles ranged from 30% to 58%.
Conclusions:
- Somatic genomic instability is present in a small subset of oral tumors.
- These findings indicate that microsatellite instability is a relevant factor in the development of some oral cancers.