A method to isolate DNA from small archival tissue samples for p53 gene analysis

The tumor suppressor gene p53 is involved in predisposition to a variety of human cancers, including those from Li-Fraumeni cancer family syndrome patients. Studies of inheritance of p53 germline mutations require confirmation of the mutation in the tumors from family members. These studies, as well as other retrospective studies of tumor specific mutations, are often hampered by a lack of available fresh or frozen tumor tissue samples for DNA extraction to confirm the suspected p53 mutation. Here we describe a simple technique for DNA isolation that permits mutational analysis of p53 from minimal amounts of paraffin-embedded archival tissue samples.