BackgroundLimited data are available describing human papillomavirus (HPV) genotype distributions in cervical cancer in the United States. Such studies are needed to predict how HPV vaccination and HPV-based screening will influence cervical cancer prevention.MethodsWe used the New Mexico Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Registry to ascertain cases of in situ (n = 1213) and invasive (n = 808) cervical cancer diagnosed during 1985–1999 and 1980–1999, respectively, in the state of New Mexico. HPV genotyping was performed using two polymerase chain reaction–based methods on paraffin-embedded tissues from in situ and invasive cancers and on cervical Papanicolaou test specimen from control subjects (ie, women aged 18–40 years attending clinics for routine cervical screening [n = 4007]). Relative risks for cervical cancer were estimated, and factors associated with age at cancer diagnosis and the prevalence of HPV genotypes in cancers were examined.ResultsThe most common HPV genotypes detected in invasive cancers were HPV type 16 (HPV16, 53.2%), HPV18 (13.1%), and HPV45 (6.1%) and those in in situ cancers were HPV16 (56.3%), HPV31 (12.6%), and HPV33 (8.0%). Invasive cancer case subjects who were positive for HPV16 or 18 were diagnosed at younger ages than those who were positive for other carcinogenic HPV genotypes (mean age at diagnosis: 48.1 [95% confidence interval {CI} = 46.6 to 49.6 years], 45.9 [95% CI = 42.9 to 49.0 years], and 52.3 years [95% CI = 50.0 to 54.6 years], respectively). The proportion of HPV16-positive in situ and invasive cancers, but not of HPV18-positive cancers, declined with more recent calendar year of diagnosis, whereas the proportion positive for carcinogenic HPV genotypes other than HPV18 increased.ConclusionsHPV16 and 18 caused the majority of invasive cervical cancer in this population sample of US women, but the proportion attributable to HPV16 declined over the last 20 years. The age at diagnosis of HPV16- and HPV18-related cancers was 5 years earlier than that of cancers caused by carcinogenic HPV genotypes other than HPV16 and 18, suggesting that the age at initiation of cervical screening could be delayed in HPV-vaccinated populations.

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Objectives GPR30 is a 7-transmembrane G protein-coupled estrogen receptor that functions alongside traditional estrogen receptors to regulate cellular responses to estrogen. Recent studies suggest that GPR30 expression is linked to lower survival rates in endometrial and breast cancer. This study was conducted to evaluate GPR30 expression in ovarian tumors. Methods GPR30 expression was analyzed using immunohistochemistry and archival specimens from 45 patients with ovarian tumors of low malignant potential (LMP) and 89 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Expression, defined as above or below the median (intensity times the percentage of positive epithelial cells) was correlated with predictors of adverse outcome and survival. Results GPR30 expression above the median was observed more frequently in EOC than in LMP tumors (48.3% vs. 20%, p= 0.002), and in EOC was associated with lower 5-yr survival rates (44.2% vs. 82.6%, Log rank p < 0.001). Tumor grade and FIGO stage, the other significant predictors of survival, were used to stratify cases into “high-risk” and “low risk” groups. The 5-yr survival rate for “low risk” EOC (all grade 1 and stage I/II, grade 2) was 100%. In “high risk” EOC (all grade 3 and stage III/IV, grade 2), the difference in 5-year survival by GPR 30 expression was significant (33.3% vs. 72.4%, p = 0.001). Conclusions The novel estrogen-responsive receptor GPR30 is preferentially expressed in “high risk” EOC and is associated with lower survival rates. Further investigation of GPR30 as a potential target for therapeutic intervention in high risk EOC is warranted.

Rapidly growing and aggressive tumors account for a substantial proportion of mammographic failure to detect breast cancer, especially among younger women, who have a high proportion of aggressive cancers.

Two recombinant DNA clones that are localized to single human chromosomes were isolated from a human repetitive DNA library. Clone pHuR 98, a variant satellite 3 sequence, specifically hybridizes to chromosome position 9qh. Clone pHuR 195, a variant satellite 2 sequence, specifically hybridizes to chromosome position 16qh. These locations were determined by fluorescent in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes, and confirmed by DNA hybridizations to human chromosomes sorted by flow cytometry. Pulsed field gel electrophoresis analysis indicated that both sequences exist in the genome as large DNA blocks. In situ hybridization to intact interphase nuclei showed a well-defined, localized organization for both DNA sequences. The ability to tag specific human autosomal chromosomes, both at metaphase and in interphase nuclei, allows novel molecular cytogenetic analyses in numerous basic research and clinical studies.

Cancer arises from an accumulation of mutations that promote the selection of cells with progressively malignant phenotypes. Previous studies have shown that genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer cells, is a driving force in this process. In the present study, two markers of genomic instability, telomere DNA content and allelic imbalance, were examined in two independent cohorts of mammary carcinomas. Altered telomeres and unbalanced allelic loci were present in both tumors and surrounding histologically normal tissues at distances at least 1 cm from the visible tumor margins. Although the extent of these genetic changes decreases as a function of the distance from the visible tumor margin, unbalanced loci are conserved between the surrounding tissues and the tumors, implying cellular clonal evolution. Our results are in agreement with the concepts of ''field cancerization'' and ''cancer field effect,'' concepts that were previously introduced to describe areas within tissues consisting of histologically normal, yet genetically aberrant, cells that represent fertile grounds for tumorigenesis. The finding that genomic instability occurs in fields of histologically normal tissues surrounding the tumor is of clinical importance, as it has implications for the definition of appropriate tumor margins and the assessment of recurrence risk factors in the context of breast-sparing surgery. ' 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.Key words: telomere loss; allelic imbalance; genomic instability; cancer field effect; breast cancer Genomic instability is an important factor in the progression of human cancers. [1][2][3][4] One mechanism that underlies genomic instability is loss of telomere function. [5][6][7] Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes located at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Telomeres in human somatic cells are composed of 1,000 to 2,000 tandemly repeated copies of the hexanucleotide DNA sequence, TTAGGG. 8 Numerous telomere binding proteins are associated with these repeat regions and are important for telomere maintenance. 9,10 Telomeres stabilize chromosome ends and prevent them from being recognized by the cell as DNA double-strand breaks, thereby preventing degradation and recombination. 11 However, telomeres can be critically shortened, and thereby become dysfunctional, by several mechanisms, including incomplete replication of the lagging strand during DNA synthesis, 12 loss or alterations of telomere-binding proteins involved in telomere maintenance, 13 and oxidative stress leading to DNA damage. 14 Alternatively, telomere loss may be compensated for by recombination 15,16 or, as seen in the majority of human cancers, by the enzyme telomerase. 17,18 Telomeres in tumors are frequently shorter than in the matched adjacent normal tissues, presumably reflecting their extensive replicative histories. [19][20][21] The cause-and-effect relation between dysfunctional telomeres and genomic instability implies that shortened telomeres are also associated with altered gene expression. The latter is a primary source of p...

TC in breast cancer tissue is an independent predictor of clinical outcome and survival interval, and may discriminate by stage.