Summary
Little is known about the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the development of gastric cancer. Mutations in the cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin are recognized to be associated with the development of undifferentiated, diffuse and invasive gastric cancers. A recent study of two gastric cancer families has shown that germline mutations in the E-cadherin gene can be causative (Guilford P et al, Nature 1998; : 402–405). We have examined the E-cadherin gene for constitutive mutations in a systematic series of 106 gastric cancer patients, 10 with a family history of the disease and 96 sporadic cases. No pathogenic mutations were observed in any of the 106 patients. The results indicate that germline mutations in E-cadherin will not account for more than 3% of gastric cancers.
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Stone, J., Bevan, S., Cunningham, D. et al. Low frequency of germline E-cadherin mutations in familial and nonfamilial gastric cancer. Br J Cancer 79, 1935–1937 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6690308
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bjc.6690308
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