Abstract
Microsatellite instability was analysed in 93 primary breast tumours at 13 chromosomal loci frequently altered in breast cancer. RER (replication errors) were observed at a low (5%) frequency in sporadic, familial and hereditary breast tumours, as well as in breast tumours from patients with multiple primary cancers. Our study suggests that the RER+ phenotype is rare in breast tumours, and that breast cancer is not included in the hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC) syndrome. Moreover, the RER+ tumours revealed an atypical pattern of microsatellite alteration as compared with those usually seen in HNPCC tumours. In agreement with the findings in HNPCC tumours, all RER+ breast tumours were diploid, although having a similar frequency of allelic imbalance as RER- tumours. Thus, mismatch repair deficiency is rare in breast cancer, is most likely caused by somatic mutations, and possibly in a set of DNA repair genes different from that involved in the HNPCC syndrome.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: European journal of cancer (Oxford, England : 1990)
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
