July 28, 2010

Specific Oncogene Plays A Role In Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma


Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death, killing 1.3 million people every year worldwide. Most cases of lung cancer are "non-small cell lung cancers" of which there are 2 main types: squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. The authors used a comparative genetic hybridisation technique to show that the focal amplification of chromosome region 8p12 plays a role in the development of lung squamous cell carcinoma (in about 40% of cases) but not in the development of lung adenocarcinoma where DNA loss in this chromosomal region is the most common alteration. The oncogene BRF2 was frequently activated in pre-invasive stages of lung squamous cell carcinoma "” carcinoma in situ and dysplasia.

The authors conclude: "This is the first study, to our knowledge, to show that the focal amplification of a gene in chromosome 8p12 plays a key role in squamous cell lineage specificity of the disease. Our data suggest that genetic activation of BRF2 represents a unique mechanism of lung squamous cell carcinoma tumorgenesis." They add, "It [BRF2] can serve as a marker of lung squamous cell carcinoma and may provide a novel target for therapy."


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