Comparison of losses of heterozygosity and replication errors in primary color ectal carcinomas and corresponding liver metastases

In order to investigate genetic alterations specific to liver metastases of colorectal carcinomas, losses of heterozygosity and replication errors har e been compared in 15 cases of primary colorectal carcinoma and in the corr esponding metastatic liver tumours. Fifteen microsatellite markers located on 13 different chromosomal arms were used in the study. The LOH patterns o f the primary and the metastatic tumours were identical in eight cases and showed differences in seven cases. Areas of deletion predominantly or compl etely common to the colorectal and the metastatic tumour were detected on c hromosomes 5q, 8p, 17p, 18q, and 22q. Preferential loss in metastatic tumou rs was observed on chromosomal arm 3p. Replication errors were found in fou r primary tumours and in three of the corresponding secondaries. A replicat ion error phenotype specific to a metastasis was not observed. Copyright (C ) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.