title: Amplification and expression of different myc-family genes in a tumor specimen and 3 cell lines derived from one small-cell lung cancer patient during longitudinal follow-up.
abstract: In a small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) tumor specimen as well as in 3 cell lines derived from SCLC biopsies obtained from the same patient at successive times during the clinical course, either the N-myc gene or the c-myc gene appeared to be amplified and expressed. The initial tumor specimen, a lymph-node metastasis, was amplified for N-myc, as was the cell line GLC-14 derived from this metastasis. The cell lines GLC-16 and GLC-19, derived from the recurrent primary tumor biopsies after a complete remission, were amplified for c-myc. This finding implies independent amplification events and supports the idea that the amplification of myc genes is probably a secondary event correlated with tumor progression. Although all 3 cell lines could be classified as classic SCLC cell lines according to their histological characteristics, GLC-16 and GLC-19 clearly possess, in their c-myc amplification and derivation from therapy-resistant tumor cells, features of variant SCLC lines. This may question the significance of the classic/variant classification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Genetics, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kok
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Osinga
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Schotanus
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Berendsen
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: de Leij
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Buys
mesh_terms: D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured