
Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention Vol. 9, 1027-1035, October 2000
© 2000 American Association for Cancer Research
Molecular Changes in Second Primary Lung and Breast Cancers after Therapy for Hodgkins Disease1
Carmen Behrens,
Lois B. Travis,
Ignacio I. Wistuba,
Samuel Davis,
Anirban Maitra,
E. Aileen Clarke,
Charles F. Lynch,
Bengt Glimelius,
Tom Wiklund,
Robert Tarone and
Adi F. Gazdar2
Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research [C. B., I. I. W., S. D., A. M., A. F. G.] and Department of Pathology [A. M., A. F. G.], University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390; Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 209892 [L. B. T., R. T.]; Department of Pathology, Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile, Santiago, Chile, [I. I. W.]; Cancer Care Ontario, Toronto, Canada [E. A. C.]; Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 [C. F. L.]; University Hospital, Uppsala S-751-75, Sweden [B. G.]; and Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland [T. W.]
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Abstract
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The risk of lung and breast cancer is significantly increased after
therapy for Hodgkins disease (HD), but there are few data that
describe the molecular profiles of these tumors. We investigated the
genetic abnormalities in second primary lung (n =
19) and breast cancers (n = 19) that follow therapy
for HD ("post-HD cancers") and compared these with changes observed
in corresponding tumor types (57 lung and 20 breast cancers) arising in
the general population ("sporadic cancers"). DNA obtained from
archival tissues was examined using PCR-based analyses for
loss of heterozygosity and microsatellite alterations (MAs) at several
chromosomal regions, TP53 and K-ras
gene mutations, and frameshift mutations at minisatellite
sequences at the coding regions of several genes
(TGF-ßRII, IGFIIR,
BAX, hMSH6, and hMSH3).
The occurrence of loss of heterozygosity at all chromosomal regions
taken together and frequencies at most individual areas were similar
for the post-HD and sporadic cancers for both lung and breast sites.
The overall frequency of MAs in the post-HD tumors was substantially
greater (lung, 2.4-fold, P = 0.004; breast,
4.2-fold, P = 0.16) than that in the respective
sporadic cancers. No differences in the pattern of TP53
and K-ras mutations were detected between post-HD and
sporadic cancers. No mutations were detected at the minisatellite
sequences examined. MAs, which reflect widespread genomic instability,
occur at greatly increased frequency in post-HD lung and breast
cancers. Although the mechanisms underlying the development of
increased MAs are unknown, they have been associated with
immunosuppression and radiation exposure. Future research should
address the role that MAs, as well as other influences, may play in the
development of neoplasias that occur after therapy for HD.
 |
Introduction
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The development of effective radiotherapy and chemotherapy
regimens for the treatment of
HD3
has resulted in large numbers of long-term survivors. Second primary
malignancies are a serious complication of cancer therapy for these
patients, who demonstrate a 1520-year actuarial risk of approximately
20% (1
, 2)
. In particular, significant excesses of lung
and breast cancer have been observed among HD survivors; lung cancer
occurs at a rate 28 times that seen in the general population
(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
, with a portion of this increase related to
thoracic radiotherapy (6
, 7) and possibly to chemotherapy
(6)
. An increased risk of breast cancer has been observed
among women treated for HD before age 30 years (8, 9, 10, 11)
,
with many cases following mantle radiotherapy that includes exposure to
the breast.
However, there are few data on the molecular changes that accompany
lung (12)
or breast cancer after treatment for HD; this
type of data might provide further insight into the contribution
of various etiological factors and carcinogenic pathways compared with
de novo tumors. For clinically evident sporadic lung
cancers, multiple genetic changes (estimated to be at least 1020)
have been described in known TSGs and several dominant oncogenes,
including myc family members, K-ras,
TP53, RB, p16-CDKN2, and candidate TSG
regions on chromosome 3p, 5q22 (APC-MCC region), 8p, 11p and
others (13)
. Breast cancer pathogenesis is characterized
by multiple molecular changes, including activation of oncogenes and
loss of known and putative TSGs, including HER2/neu, TP53,
and candidate TSG regions on chromosomes 3p, 6q, 8p, 11p, 13q, 16q,
17p, 17q, and 18q (14, 15, 16)
. Microsatellites, which are
short tandem repeat DNA sequences, are abundantly and evenly
distributed throughout the genome. Because they are easily analyzed by
PCR-based methods (17)
, they are frequently used for
studies of LOH in tumors, including those of the breast and lung. The
fidelity of normal microsatellite replication appears to be relatively
low because these loci are highly polymorphic (18)
,
presumably due to unrepaired slippage during DNA replication
(19)
. In addition to LOH, changes in microsatellite size
(both additions and deletions) are associated with many cancers and
other human diseases. These alterations have been linked with at least
four disease states: (a) hereditary nonpolyposis colon
cancer, in which inherited defects in DNA mismatch repair enzymes
result in large-scale genetic instability with the formation of a
ladder-like array of microsatellites of various sizes replacing the
normal allele pattern (18
, 20)
; (b) another
form of microsatellite change in which only a single allele of altered
size is found has been described in many forms of sporadic cancers
(21, 22, 23)
, including lung cancer, and is referred to as MA
(MAs usually involve dinucleotide repeats and occasionally involve the
less common multinucleotide repeats); (c) in the Ashkenazi
Jewish population, a T to A polymorphism at APC gene
nucleotide 3920 results in a hypermutable tract of
(A)8 sequences, indirectly causing a
predisposition to familial colorectal cancer (24)
; and
(d) expansion of unstable trinucleotide repeats in the
coding regions of some genes results in a number of familial
neuromuscular disorders (25)
.
In the present report, we investigated the frequency and pattern of
TP53 and K-ras gene mutations and the occurrence
of LOH and MAs at several chromosomal regions frequently deleted in
lung and breast tumors in a series of 38 cases that followed therapy
for HD. Results are compared with findings in sporadic tumors of the
lung and breast in the general population.
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Materials and Methods
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Lung and Breast Tumor Specimens.
Paraffin-embedded archival tissues were collected as available for all
HD patients who developed a second lung or breast cancer and were
reported to cancer registries [Iowa and Connecticut (United States)
and Ontario (Canada)] included in an ongoing epidemiological study.
Calendar years of HD diagnosis were 19651990, and eligible second
cancers occurred 1 year or more later. Specimens were analyzed for 38
HD patients with either second lung (n = 19) or breast
(n = 19) cancer (post-HD cancers). The lung tumors
included 15 NSCLCs (10 adenocarcinomas, 1 adenosquamous carcinoma, 1
squamous cell carcinoma, and 3 large cell carcinomas) and 4 SCLCs
(Table 1)
. Patients (8 females and 11 males) ranged in age from 2061 years at
diagnosis of HD (median age at diagnosis, 37 years). The median latency
between diagnosis of HD and lung cancer was 10.1 years (range,
2.324.6 years). Radiotherapy for HD was administered to all patients,
with 13 patients also receiving chemotherapy. All patients were
smokers, and 13 of 14 patients for whom quantitative data were
available were heavy smokers (more than 20 pack-years), with a median
of 37.5 pack-years (range, 1379.5 pack-years). Findings from the
post-HD lung cancers were compared with archival materials from 57 lung
tumors arising in the general population (sporadic cancers) from
patients (21 males and 26 females) undergoing curative intent
resections, with all major histological types represented. These
sporadic lung cancers, which were obtained from Parkland Hospital
(Dallas, TX) and The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
(Houston, TX), consisted of 35 NSCLCs (21 adenocarcinomas and 14
squamous cell carcinomas) and 22 SCLCs. The NSCLC samples were selected
randomly from the large series available to us; because SCLC tumors are
seldom resected, even when apparently limited in extent, we analyzed
all available resected cases. Given the rarity of sporadic lung cancer
in the young, the median age of the comparison patients was
considerably high (median age, 61 years, range, 3084 years) as
compared with age at lung cancer diagnosis (median age, 51 years, age
range, 2867 years) after HD. Eight of the patients with sporadic lung
cancer were <50 years old, and all but one were heavy smokers, with a
median smoking exposure of 37.5 pack-years.
All post-HD breast cancers were ductal cell carcinomas obtained from
patients who had been treated for HD at 30 years of age or younger
(median age, 21 years, age range, 1328 years; Table 1
). The median
latency between diagnosis of HD and breast cancer was 16.3 years
(range, 9.326.4 years). Breast cancer was diagnosed at a median age
of only 37 years (range, 2853 years). Eighteen patients had received
chest radiotherapy for HD. Molecular findings of these cases were
compared with those derived from 20 ductal breast carcinomas arising
among women in the general population who underwent curative intent
mastectomy (women with sporadic cancers). The patients with sporadic
breast cancer ranged in age from 3366 years (median age, 50 years).
Microdissection and DNA Extraction.
Precisely identified areas of lung and breast cancers were
microdissected under microscopic visualization using laser capture
microdissection (LCM; Arcturus Engineering, Mountain View, CA) without
contamination with normal stromal cells. Stromal cells or lymphocytes
from the same sections were used as a source of constitutional DNA.
After DNA extraction, 5 µl of the proteinase K-digested samples
containing DNA from at least 100 cells were used for each multiplex PCR
reaction using methods described previously (26)
.
TP53 and K-ras Gene Mutation
Analyses.
We examined post-HD lung and breast cancers for mutations in exons 58
of the TP53 gene by single-strand conformational
polymorphism analysis followed by sequencing of both strands of
abnormal bands using an automated ABI PRISM 377 DNA Sequencer
(Perkin-Elmer, Branchburg, NJ). The nested PCR methodology,
single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis, and primer
sequences used have been described previously (22)
. For
K-ras mutation analysis (codons 12 and 13) of post-HD lung
cancers, we used a designed RFLP method using nested PCR methodology
followed by sequencing, as described previously (27)
.
K-ras gene mutations thus discovered were confirmed by
direct sequencing using an ABI PRISM 377 DNA Sequencer (Perkin-Elmer).
Polymorphic DNA Markers and PCR for LOH and MA Analyses.
To evaluate LOH and MA in lung cancer, we used primers flanking
dinucleotide (n = 15) and multinucleotide
(n = 5) microsatellite repeat polymorphisms located at
the following nine chromosomal regions: (a) 3p12
(D3S1274 and D3S1284); (b) 3p14.2
(D3S1234 and D3S4103 at the FHIT
gene); (c) 3p1421 (D3S1766); (d)
3p21 (D3S1076, D3S1573, D3S1029,
D3SS1582, ITIH-1, and Luca 2.2);
(e) 3p2224.2 (D3S1612, D3S2432, and
D3S1537); (f) 5q21 (APC-MCC region,
L5.71); (g) 9p21 (IFNA and D9S1748
flanking the CDKN2 gene); (h) 13q14
(RB gene, dinucleotide repeat); and (i) 17p13
(TP53 gene, dinucelotide and pentanucleotide repeats). For
breast cancer, we used primers flanking dinucleotide (n = 16) and multinucleotide (n = 4) microsatellite repeat
polymorphisms located at the following 13 chromosomal regions:
(a) 3p14.2 (D3S1234 and D3S4103 at the
FHIT gene); (b) 3p1421 (D3S1766);
(c) 3p21 (ITIH-1 and Luca 2.2);
(d) 3p2224.2 (D3S2432); (e) 5q21
(APC-MCC region, L5.71); (f) 6q1314
(D6S300); (g) 6q2227 (D6S262);
(h) 8p2123 (D8S1130, D8S1106, and
NEFL); (i) 9p21 (IFNA, flanking the
CDKN2 gene); (j) 11q13 (PYGM and
INT-2); (k) 13q14 (RB gene,
dinucleotide repeat); (l) 17p13 (TP53 gene,
dinucelotide and pentanucleotide repeats); and (m) 17q21
(D17S855 and D17S1323 flanking the
BRCA1 gene). Primer sequences were obtained from the Genome
Database, with five exceptions (ITIH-1, pentanucleotide and
dinucleotide repeats in the TP53 gene, and dinucleotide
repeats in the RB gene and Luca 2.2), which were
published and referenced previously (26)
. Nested PCR or
two-round PCR (using the same set of primers in two consecutive
amplifications) methods were used as described previously
(26)
. Multiplex PCR was performed during the first
amplification, followed by uniplex PCR for individual markers.
For each case, constitutional heterozygosity was determined by
examination of normal stromal tissue. LOH was scored by visual
detection of the complete absence of one tumor allele in heterozygous
(i.e., informative) cases (Fig. 1)
. MAs were detected by a shift in the mobility of one allele (Fig. 1)
, irrespective of whether or not it was accompanied by LOH.

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Fig. 1. A, 16 representative examples of LOH and MA analyses at
eight chromosomal regions frequently deleted in post-HD lung and breast
cancers. Each panel demonstrates microsatellite marker analysis of
microdissected DNA of paired normal (N) and lung tumor
(T) samples from individual patients.
Bars represent the position of the major allelic bands.
Arrowheads indicate a mobility shift of one or both
alleles. B, representative examples of minisatellite
mutation analysis at hMSH3, BAX, and
TGF-ßRII genes in post-HD lung
carcinomas (T1T5). C1
and C2, colon cancer cell lines used as positive
controls with frameshift mutations at those minisatellites sequences.
Open arrowheads indicate a mobility shift (mutation) in
the corresponding minisatellite sequences.
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Minisatellite Mutation Analyses at the
TGF-ßRII, IGFIIR,
BAX, hMSH6, and hMSH3
Genes.
Because we noted a higher frequency of MAs in post-HD lung carcinomas,
we examined five minisatellite sequences in the coding regions of the
TGF-ßRII, IGFIIR, BAX,
hMSH3, and hMSH6 genes for the presence of
frameshift mutations. These genes have been reported as mutational
targets in tumors arising in patients with inherited defects in
mismatch repair enzymes (28
, 29)
. The minisatellite repeat
sequences examined were as follows: (a) tracts of
(A)10 sequence at
TGF-ßRII; (b)
(G)8 at IGFIIR; (c)
(G)8 at BAX; (d)
(A)8 at hMSH3; and (e)
(C)8 at hMSH6, which were examined
using the primer sequences published previously (29)
. A
two-round PCR method for DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues
was used as described previously (26)
. Multiplex PCR was
performed during the first amplification, followed by uniplex PCR for
individual markers. Colon cancer cell lines having known frameshift
mutations at those minisatellite sequences were used as positive
controls. DNA from these cell lines was a gift from Dr. Jae-Gahb Park
(Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College, Seoul,
Korea).
Data Analysis.
To compare the overall frequencies of LOH and MA in lung and breast
carcinoma cases, we devised three indices (30)
, which were
calculated calculated as follows: (a) FAL index = total
number of loci with LOH/total number of informative loci; (b) FRL
index = total number of chromosomal regions with LOH/total number
of informative regions; and (c) MA index = total number
of loci demonstrating MA/total number of loci analyzed.
The FAL index indicates the overall frequency of LOH at informative
loci per case (maximum of 20 loci/case). The FRL index indicates LOH
for all informative chromosomal regions per case (maximum of 9 and 13
regions/case for lung and breast cancers, respectively). In some
instances, we were able to increase the number of regions that were
informative by using multiple markers to analyze individual regions. If
a marker for a region was informative (i.e., heterozygous in
normal tissue), then the region was regarded as informative, and if one
or more of the markers showed LOH, then we regarded the region as
demonstrating loss. The MA index indicates the total frequency of MAs
expressed as a fraction per case (n = 20 markers tested
in each type of tumor). Because MAs at individual markers occur
independently of chromosomal region and informativeness, data from all
markers were used. Because of the relatively large number of post-HD
NSCLCs (n = 15), including 10 lung adenocarcinomas, we
also included them in subgroup evaluations.
Statistical comparisons were performed using the exact Wilcoxons
rank-sum test and Fishers exact test. Two-sided Ps are
reported for all comparisons.
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Results
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TP53 and K-ras Mutations.
TP53 gene mutations were detected in 11 of 19 (58%) lung
carcinomas in patients treated for HD (Table 2)
. Whereas 3 of 4 (75%) SCLCs demonstrated TP53 mutations,
TP53 mutations were detected in 8 of 15 (53%) NSCLCs [4 of
10 adenocarcinomas, 0 of 1 adenosquamous carcinoma, 1 of 1 squamous
cell carcinoma, and 3 of 3 large cell carcinomas (one at each codon)].
Seven of the 10 (70%) TP53 point mutations were
transversions. K-ras gene mutations at codons 12 and 13 were
detected in only 2 of 19 (11%) post-HD lung cancers, and both of these
cases were adenocarcinomas. The mutation at codon 12 was a GGT (Gly) to
TGT (Cys), and the mutation at codon 13 was a GAC (Asp) to GGC (Gly).
TP53 mutations were found in 2 of 19 (11%) post-HD breast
carcinomas. Both point mutations represented transitions.
Frequency of LOH.
Frequencies of LOH and the patterns of individual allelic losses were
comparable for the post-HD and sporadic lung cancers (Fig. 2A
and Tables 3
and 4
). Similar frequencies of LOH at all analyzed chromosomal regions were
also observed for both groups, as represented by FAL and FRL indices.
However, for post-HD breast cancers, significantly greater allelic
losses were observed for 6q1314, 9p21, and any 6q and 17p
(TP53 gene loci) as compared with sporadic cancers. Post-HD
breast cancers also displayed slightly higher mean FAL and FRL indices
(0.382 and 0.429, respectively) than sporadic cancers (0.248 and 0.299;
P = 0.12 and 0.17, respectively).

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Fig. 2. Comparison of LOH and MA in post-HD disease lung and breast carcinomas
and corresponding sporadic tumors. A, FAL index (an
indicator of LOH at all chromosomal loci analyzed per case).
B, MA index (an indicator of the total frequency of MAs
per case). Although only post-HD lung carcinomas demonstrated a
significantly increased frequency of MAs, the combined analysis of both
breast and lung cancers revealed a highly significant elevation in the
MA index (P = 0.0013) for the post-HD tumors.
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In both post-HD lung and breast tumors, no correlation was detected
between the overall frequency of LOH and the age at which HD treatment
was received, sex, HD stage, chest radiotherapy or chemotherapy, or
period of time between therapy and second cancer diagnosis. For both
sporadic and post-HD lung cancers, no correlation between smoking
exposure (pack-years) and the occurrence of LOH was evident.
Frequency of MAs.
Although there was considerable interindividual variability (Table 1)
,
the mean MA index of the post-HD lung tumors (0.087) was 2.4-fold
greater than the mean index of the sporadic cases (0.036;
P = 0.004; Fig. 2B
). Larger differences between the two
groups of lung carcinomas were detected in the NSCLC and adenocarcinoma
cases considered separately. The mean MA index of the post-HD NSCLCs
(0.101 versus 0.017) and adenocarcinomas (0.112
versus 0.013) was 5.9- and 8.6-fold greater than that of
their corresponding sporadic tumors (P = 0.0002 and
P = 0.0004, respectively). Examples of various MA
patterns for lung and breast cancers are presented in Fig. 1
. Because
artifacts resulting from PCR amplification may be mistaken for MAs,
especially when minute amounts of input DNA are used, all examples of
MAs were confirmed using DNA microdissected from replicate
microsections. With the use of 20 polymorphic markers, at least one MA
was present in 14 of 19 (74%) post-HD lung cancers versus
23 of 57 (40%) sporadic cases (P = 0.017), with the
greatest differences between the two groups of lung carcinomas detected
for the NSCLC, including adenocarcinomas. Although no differences were
detected in the MA frequencies between dinucleotide or multinucleotide
microsatellite repeat markers, the results varied considerably for
individual markers. We did not find any of the microsatellite markers
to be more sensitive than the others for detecting MA.
Both groups of breast carcinomas demonstrated a relatively low
frequency of MAs, with the mean MA index of the post-HD breast tumors
(mean, 0.021) about 4.2-fold greater than the mean index of sporadic
cases (mean, 0.005; Fig. 2B
). The difference, however, was not
statistically significant (P = 0.16). In a combined
analysis, post-HD lung and breast cancers had a significantly elevated
MA index compared with sporadic cancers (P = 0.001).
With the use of 20 polymorphic markers, at least one MA was present in
5 of 19 (26%) post-HD breast cancers versus 2 of 20 (10%)
sporadic cases (P = 0.24; Table 4
). In post-HD lung and
breast tumors, there was no correlation between the MA index and the
overall frequency of LOH and the age at which HD treatment was
received, sex, HD stage, chest radiotherapy or chemotherapy, period of
time between therapy and second cancer diagnosis, and the dose of
radiotherapy received.
Minisatellite Mutations.
Frameshift mutations were detected in all colon cancer cell lines used
as controls. However, no mutations were detected in the minisatellite
sequences at the TGF-ßRII, IGFIIR,
BAX, hMSH6, and hMSH3 genes examined
in any of the lung and breast cancers arising in patients treated for
HD.
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Discussion
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There is little information available regarding the genetic
changes (12)
involved in the pathogenesis of solid
neoplasms that develop after treatment for HD. We analyzed the
molecular profiles of 38 post-HD lung and breast carcinomas and
compared them with those observed in sporadic lung (n =
57) and breast (n = 20) cancers. For patients who
develop lung cancer after radiotherapy for HD, a positive interaction
on a multiplicative scale has been detected between the carcinogenic
effects of smoking and radiation (7)
, and the joint
effects of smoking and radiation have been described previously in
uranium miners exposed to radon (31)
and in atomic bomb
survivors (32)
. Breast carcinoma after HD radiotherapy is
more likely to develop in women treated before age 30 years
(10)
and to present bilaterally and in medial quadrants in
comparison with sporadic breast cancers (9
, 33)
. The other
clinicopathological characteristics of radiation-associated breast
cancer after HD and sporadic tumors appear to be similar
(33)
.
Our cases of post-HD lung and breast cancers did not demonstrate higher
frequencies of TP53 mutations than those observed in
corresponding sporadic tumors (13
, 34)
. Similar levels of
TP53 mutation have been noted in uranium miners exposed to
radon and tobacco smoke (35)
and in a small series of lung
cancers after radiotherapy for HD (12)
. Although previous
studies of TP53 mutations in lung carcinomas after radiation
exposure indicated a predominance of G:C > A:T transitions
(12
, 36)
, our post-HD lung tumors demonstrated
predominantly transversions (70%). Although all patients with lung
cancer after radiotherapy for HD in our survey were smokers, the
pattern of TP53 gene mutations resembled the spectrum of
mutations described for the lung cancers of non-smokers
(37)
, with a predominance of G:C to C:G transversions.
However, the small number of mutations in post-HD lung tumors
(n = 11) dictates a cautious interpretation of this
observation.
ras gene mutations occur in approximately 1520% of
NSCLCs, mainly in adenocarcinomas (2030%; Ref. 13
).
Mutations in K-ras account for approximately 90% of
ras mutations in lung adenocarcinomas, with 85% of these
mutations affecting codon 12 (13)
. No increase in the
frequency of K-ras gene mutations at codon 12 was detected
in our cases of post-HD lung carcinoma. Similarly, no mutations at
codons 12 and 13 of the K-ras gene were observed in lung
cancers from uranium miners exposed to radon and tobacco smoke
(35)
.
Many chromosomal deletions involving sites of known and putative TSGs
have been described in clinically evident lung and breast cancers
(13
, 38)
. We determined the frequencies of LOH and MAs at
several chromosomal regions in post-HD lung and breast tumors and in
sporadic carcinomas of these types. Of interest, the overall frequency
of LOH at all regions was similar in the two groups of lung and breast
cancers. For individual regions, the only significant differences were
noted at the 6q1314, 9p 21, and TP53 loci in breast
carcinomas, in which post-HD tumors demonstrated a significantly higher
frequency of allelic loss. Because of the small sample size and
numerous comparisons, we feel that cautious interpretation of the data
is advisable until additional data are available.
A significantly greater frequency of MAs was present in the post-HD
lung tumors of all histological types. Although a higher frequency of
MAs (4.2-fold) was present in post-HD breast carcinomas than in
sporadic cases, these differences were not significant. However, the
overall frequency of MAs in breast tumors was lower than that in lung
cancers. The differences between the lung and breast tumors may be
related to organ-specific differences in radiation sensitivity or may
reflect the compounding effects of exposure to smoking-related
carcinogens. Chronic smokers have an increased incidence of MAs in the
bronchial epithelium (30)
.
MAs have been reported in a variety of sporadic cancers, including
those of the lung and breast. Although a link between MAs and DNA
repair mechanisms has not been proven, MAs likely constitute evidence
for some type of genomic instability (39)
. Because most
microsatellite sequences arise in noncoding regions of the genome, they
are not in the direct pathway of carcinogenesis. Whereas lengthy
microsatellite sequences are uncommon in coding regions, smaller
repeats (minisatellites) are occasionally present. In hereditary
nonpolyposis colon cancer patients (who have defects in their DNA
repair enzymes), size changes affecting microsatellites and
minisatellites are present at many noncoding regions and some coding
regions, including those of known or putative oncogenes. Because
alterations in coding sequences may result in frameshift mutations
(40
, 41)
, it is possible that MAs also could result in the
inactivation of critical key genes in cancer pathogenesis. However,
changes in the minisatellite sequences at the
TGF-ßRII, IGFIIR, BAX,
hMSH3, and hMSH6 genes were not detected in our
post-HD cancers. Our results suggest that mutations in DNA repair
enzymes are unlikely to be the primary mechanism involved in the
increased frequency of MAs in post-HD lung and breast tumors. MAs
occurring in polymorphic markers in noncoding regions of the genome may
be repaired less efficiently than those occurring in the coding
sequences of crucial genes.
Mechanisms by which elevated rates of MA occur in post-HD cancers are
not clear. Evidence exists for increased frequencies of genomic
instability after radiation exposure in humans (42
, 43) ,
cell cultures (44)
, and experimental animals
(45)
. An increased frequency of microsatellite instability
has been detected previously in therapy-related leukemia and pediatric
secondary malignant neoplasms (46
, 47)
. In addition,
increased genomic instability at several chromosomal loci has been
observed in human radiation-associated thyroid carcinomas that
developed after the Chernobyl accident (48
, 49)
. In cell
culture systems, ionizing radiation induces widespread genomic
instability that is dose-dependent (44
, 50)
. However, in
our post-HD lung and breast tumors, there was no correlation between
the MA index and chest radiotherapy or dose of radiotherapy received.
Although several of the cytotoxic drugs used to treat HD, including
mechlorethamine and procarbazine, cause pulmonary tumors in laboratory
animals (51)
, evidence for the possible contribution of
chemotherapy to subsequent lung cancer excesses after HD is conflicting
(2
, 6) . Whether cytotoxic drugs might play a role in the
development of excess genomic instability is not known, and we found no
difference in MA rates between patients who received chemotherapy plus
radiotherapy (n = 16) and those receiving radiotherapy
alone (n = 22). A relatively high frequency of MAs has
been described in lung cancers arising in young nonsmoking subjects
(52)
, suggesting a genetic predisposition. The ages of our
patients with post-HD lung and breast cancers were significantly lower
than those of patients with sporadic tumors. MAs have also been
described previously in HIV-associated tumors, including those of the
lung, and may be involved in their pathogenesis (26
, 53
, 54)
. Other immunosuppressive states may also result in
minisatellite instability (55)
. It is noteworthy that
defects in immunological function are present at diagnosis of HD and
persist for long periods after completion of therapy (56)
.
Our findings suggest that widespread genomic instability, as manifested
by the development of increased numbers of MAs, occurs frequently in
lung and breast tumors after radiation therapy for HD. Although the
mechanism underlying the development of increased MAs is unknown,
future research is warranted to address the possible contribution of
these alterations to the pathogenesis of selected second neoplasms
after treatment for HD. Our results also underscore the importance of
additional epidemiological and laboratory studies to clarify the
relationship between tobacco, immunological factors, radiation,
chemotherapy, and other possible influences in the development of
second cancers after HD.
 |
Acknowledgments
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We thank Dr. Jae-Gahb Park (Cancer Research Institute, Seoul
National University College, Seoul, Korea) for supplying colon cancer
cell line DNA for the minisatellite frameshift mutation analysis and
Diane Fuchs, Virginia Hunter, Susan Smith, Cathy Kasper, Judy Anderson,
and Judie Fine for expert assistance.
 |
Footnotes
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The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. This article must therefore be hereby marked advertisement in accordance with 18 U.S.C. Section 1734 solely to indicate this fact.
1 Supported by Specialized Program of Research
Excellence Grant P50-CA70907 and by the Early Detection Research
Network, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD. 
2 To whom requests for reprints should be
addressed, at Hamon Center for Therapeutic Oncology Research,
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines
Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-8593. Phone: (214) 648-4921; Fax:
(214) 648-4924; E-mail: gazdar{at}simmons.swmed.edu 
3 The abbreviations used are: HD, Hodgkins
disease; LOH, loss of heterozygosity; MA, microsatellite alteration;
TSG, tumor suppressor genes; NSCLC, non-small cell lung carcinoma;
SCLC, small cell lung carcinoma; FAL, fractional allelic loss; FRL,
fractional regional loss. 
Received 1/20/00;
revised 6/ 6/00;
accepted 7/13/00.
 |
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