Allelic loss on chromosome-13 can preceed histological-changes in head and neck-cancer

Seventy paired tumor and blood samples from patients with upper aerodigestive tract squamous cell carcinoma (UADT SCC) were tested for allelic loss on chromosome 13. Increased loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was observed at 11 of 13 different highly polymorphic microsatellite 'CA' dinucleotide repeat-containing loci. Increasing percent LOH correlated with lymph node metastasis (N Stage) (p=0.016). LOH was also detected in 10 of 16 (63%) informative samples of histologically normal mucosa adjacent to the tumors. These findings demonstrate that allelic loss on chromosome 13 is a frequent event in UADT SCC. Furthermore, these genetic alterations can be detected prior to histological changes in normal mucosa adjacent to these tumors.