ASSOCIATION BETWEEN RESTRICTION-FRAGMENT-LENGTH-POLYMORPHISM OF THE L-MYC GENE AND LUNG METASTASIS IN HUMAN BREAST-CANCER

EcoRI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the L-myc gene was examined in leukocyte DNAs isolated from 381 breast cancer patients. No differences in the patterns of L-myc RFLP were found between breast cancer patients and healthy individuals. However, among 97 patients who relapsed, a statistical correlation was found between L-myc RFLP and lung metastases (p < 0.05). These results are in close agreement with previous findings in patients with cancer of the lung, bone or kidney, and suggest that L-myc RFLP may be a useful marker for predicting lung metastasis in some human cancers.