Microsatellite instability in sarcomas.
BACKGROUND
Microsatellite instability (MIN) has been studied in a variety of carcinomas and gynecologic sarcomas, but never in musculoskeletal sarcomas.


METHODS
We evaluated 16 skeletal and soft tissue sarcomas at nine genetic loci from chromosomal regions 1q, 5q, 7q, 12p, 13q, 17p, 19q, and two at 11p--all potential regions of interest regarding musculoskeletal sarcomas.


RESULTS
MIN was identified at one or more loci in seven of the cancers studied (44%). Three tumors had more than one locus with MIN and one tumor, a high-grade osteogenic sarcoma, had five of nine loci positive for MIN.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that musculoskeletal sarcomas show instability in areas inside and outside the loci of known oncogenes. Areas of mismatch repair, as heralded by MIN, may contribute to the vast heterogeneity of these neoplasms.
Martin
S S
SS
Department of Orthopaedics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee 37232-2550, USA.
Hurt
W G
WG
Hedges
L K
LK
Butler
M G
MG
Schwartz
H S
HS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations / Q000235:genetics*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000235:genetics*; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm