LOW-FREQUENCY OF ALLELIC LOSS IN SKIN TUMORS FROM IMMUNOSUPPRESSED INDIVIDUALS

Organ transplant recipients receiving immunosuppression show a dramati cally increased risk of non-melanoma skin cancer. The cause of this in crease is not known. We report that the rate of loss of heterozygosity (at all the loci we examined) was significantly lower in tumours from immunosuppressed individuals than in tumours from immunocompetent sub jects [20 out of 148 (14%) vs 157 out of 428 (37%);P < 0.0001]. These results suggest that tumours in immunosuppressed individuals have a di fferent molecular pathogenesis.