COMPARATIVE ALLELOTYPE OF EARLY AND ADVANCED-STAGE NONSMALL CELL LUNGCARCINOMAS

To identify chromosomal loci of tumor suppressor genes involved in the genesis and progression of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), com parative allelotype analysis was performed in 23 stage I primary lung tumors and in 22 metastatic lung tumors to the brain. In total, 84 loc i on all 22 autosomal chromosomes were examined for loss of heterozygo sity (LOH) by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis with 40 polymorphic DNA probes and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-LO H analysis of 44 polymorphic loci. LOH on chromosome arms 3p, 13q, and 17p was detected frequently (>60%) in both stage I primary lung tumor s and brain metastases, whereas the incidence of LOH on chromosome arm s 2q, 5q, 9p, 12q, 18q, and 22q was more than 60% only in brain metast ases. In particular, the incidence of LOH on chromosome arms 2q, 9p, 1 8q, and 22q in brain metastases was significantly higher than that in stage I primary lung tumors (P < 0.05). These results indicate that tu mor suppressor genes on chromosome arms 3p, 13q, and 17p are involved in the genesis of NSCLC, whereas those on several chromosome arms, esp ecially on 2q, 9p, 18q and 22q, play an important role in the progress ion of NSCLC. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.