title: Genomic stability prevails in North-African hepatocellular carcinomas.
abstract: The molecular pathogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma, a tumour characterized by a vast clinical heterogeneity, remains unexplored outside Europe and Eastern Asia. We analysed by direct sequencing or loss of heterozygosity assay, the common targets of genomic alterations in 42 hepatocellular carcinomas collected in western North-Africa. Overall, genomic instability was uncommon, allelic losses affecting mostly chromosomes 1p, 4q, 8p and 17p (24-28% of cases). CTNNB1 and TP53 were infrequently mutated (9 and 17% of cases, respectively). Surprisingly, TP53 mutation R249S, diagnostic of aflatoxin B1 exposure, usually frequent in Africa, was exceptional (one case), indicating that in western North-Africa, hepatocellular carcinoma genetics differs markedly from that of the remainder of the continent.
authors.affiliation: Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Unit, INSERM U579, Pasteur Institute, Paris, France. ppineau@pasteur.fr
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pineau
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ezzikouri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marchio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Benazzouz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cordina
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Afifi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Elkihal
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Khalfallah
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mestiri
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tebbal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berkane
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Debzi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Triki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dejean
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Iguer
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bahri
authors.forename: A E E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Essaid El Feydi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benjelloun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D016158:Genes, p53 / Q000235:genetics; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D042822:Genomic Instability; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D019656:Loss of Heterozygosity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco / Q000208:ethnology; D009154:Mutation; D014416:Tunisia / Q000208:ethnology; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D051176:beta Catenin