Genomic alterations of the c-myc protooncogene in relation to the overexpression of c-erbB2 and Ki-67 in human breast and cervix carcinomas.
Genomic alterations of c-myc (amplification, rearrangements and hypomethylation) were investigated in 30 breast carcinomas and 20 cervix carcinomas. In breast carcinomas c-myc alterations were compared with overexpression of the c-erbB2 protooncogene and the proliferation marker Ki-67. Alterations of c-myc were found in 50% of the breast carcinomas and in 25% of the cervix carcinomas. In 23% of the breast carcinomas c-erbB2 overexpression was associated with c-myc alterations. In 17% of the cases there was overexpression of c-erbB2 without detectable alterations of c-myc. Hence, in 67% of breast cancers alterations of c-myc and/or c-erbB2 have been found, while in 81% of the samples Ki-67 expression was increased. The results suggest that the study of c-myc alterations provides an important complement to that of other prognostic indicators of breast cancer such as c-erbB2 expression.
Institute of Toxicology, University of Tübingen, Federal Republic of Germany.
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P
Münzel
D
D
Marx
H
H
Köchel
A
A
Schauer
K W
KW
Bock
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D004247:DNA / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D008745:Methylation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
D004247:DNA; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases