title: Clinical significance of hTERC and C-Myc genes amplification in a group of Egyptian patients with cancer cervix.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide after breast cancer. Cervical cancer is a preventable disease. The implementation of cervical cancer screening programs has greatly decreased the morbidity and mortality, as precancerous lesions and early invasive cervical cancer could be detected and treated effectively. The detection of hTERC gene amplification was suggested as a possible diagnostic marker for use in routine cytological screening.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to detect genomic gains of the hTERC and C-MYC genes using FISH technique and to investigate the relationship between genes amplification and the clinical data of the patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The current study was carried out on twelve cases with cervical cancer at different grades (three cases were grade I, six cases were grade II and three cases were grade III). Interphase FISH analysis using LSI probe, Cervical Cancer probe hTERC (3q26) & C-MYC (8q24), was successfully performed on 12 patients with cancer cervix.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interphase FISH analysis revealed positive hTERC gene amplification in all cases of cancer cervix (100%). However C-MYC gene amplification was detected in four cases only (33.3%). Statistical analysis of the data revealed significant correlation between hTERC amplification and grading. Also, there was significant correlation between C-MYC amplification and grading and highly significant correlation between C-MYC amplification and hTERC amplification. On the other hand hTERC and C-MYC genes amplification showed an inverse correlation with the ages of the patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study highlights the importance of using hTERC and C-MYC genes FISH probes for cases with cancer cervix or pre-malignant lesions as a sensitive technique. This method provides an easy and effective applicable approach which helps in the diagnosis and prognosis, as an increased copy number is associated with a more advanced grade that could be detected in the early stages of the disease.
authors: Human Cytogenetics Department, National Research Center, Cairo Egypt. mahaeid67@gmail.com
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Eid
authors: H M
authors: HM
authors: Nossair
authors: M T
authors: MT
authors: Ismael
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Amira
authors: M M
authors: MM
authors: Hosney
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Abdul Rahman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D005260:Female; D005784:Gene Amplification; D016259:Genes, myc; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics*; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase