Mutations of the adenomatous polyposis coli gene in areca quid and tobacco-associated oral squamous cell carcinomas in Taiwan.
BACKGROUND
Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene mutations have been demonstrated not only in colorectal tumors but also in a variety of human cancers.


METHODS
To elucidate the possible roles of APC gene mutations in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs), we examined 40 untreated human primary OSCCs using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and DNA sequencing assays.


RESULTS
By screening nearly one-half of the coding region (codons 279-1673, including the MCR) of the APC gene, five missense mutations and a 1-base pair deletion were detected in five (12.5%) tumors, resulting in five amino-acid substitutions or a truncation of the APC protein. All patients with APC mutations were both areca quid chewers and tobacco smokers (P = 0.049).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that APC mutations may also contribute to the carcinogenesis of at least some OSCCs in Taiwan, especially for the users of areca quid and tobacco.
Kok
Sang-Heng
SH
School of Dentistry, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan.
Lee
Jang-Jaer
JJ
Hsu
Hey-Chi
HC
Chiang
Chun-Pin
CP
Kuo
Ying-Shiung
YS
Kuo
Mark Yen-Ping
MY
D025601:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein / Q000235:genetics; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution / Q000235:genetics; D001114:Areca / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020029:Base Pairing / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D016368:Frameshift Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D017353:Gene Deletion; D017491:Genes, APC; D006801:Humans; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009062:Mouth Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics*; D020125:Mutation, Missense / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013624:Taiwan
D025601:Adenomatous Polyposis Coli Protein; D003062:Codon