Abnormal Fhit expression in malignant and premalignant lesions of the cervix

Genetic analysis of cervical cancer has demonstrated frequent allelic loss in the 3p chromosomal region. The newly described gene FHIT is located at c hromosome region 3p14.2, and its expression has been demonstrated previousl y by reverse transcription-PCR to be abnormal in a majority of cervical can cer cell lines, In this study, 98 different lesions of the cervix were exam ined for Fhit expression by immunohistochemical staining Whereas normal cer vical epithelium demonstrated diffuse, moderate to intense cytoplasmic stai ning, many pathological lesions of the cervix displayed reduced or absent F hit expression. Sixty-one percent of squamous carcinomas and 40% of adenoca rcinomas of the cervix had abnormal Fhit expression, Sixty-five preneoplast ic lesions of the cervix were examined, Eleven of 33 high-grade squamous in traepithelial lesions and 1 of 12 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion s had abnormal Fhit expression, In summary, Fhit expression is frequently a bnormal in both glandular and squamous cervical cancers, with a higher freq uency of Fhit alterations observed in squamous lesions, In addition, abnorm al Fhit expression can he detected in some preneoplastic lesions of the ect ocervix, Alterations in Fhit expression may be an important marker of early progression in the development of cancers of the cervix.