Identification of two distinct regions of deletion at 6q in gastric carcinoma

Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) affecting the long arm of chromosome 6 has been found repeatedly in human cancers. Recently, our group reported that del(6)(q21-22→qter) was the most consistent structural cytogenetic abnormality in gastric carcinomas. To determine more precisely the deleted region, we studied 51 tumors with 9 polymorphic markers on this chromosome arm. LOH of one or more markers was found in 39% of the tumors. LOH at region 6q22.3 was detected in 50% of informative tumors and at 6q26-q27 in 37% of informative tumors. By comparative analysis of LOH regions, we identified two separate regions of overlapped deletions at 6q, one between 6q16.3-q21 and 6q22.3-q23.1, another distal to 6q23-q24. A comparison of clinicopathologic features of gastric carcinomas with and without LOH at 6q revealed statistically significant or suggestive differences between LOH and young age of the patients and proximal location of the tumors. The two informative early gastric carcinomas both showed LOH at 6q. The occurrence of LOH at 6q was similar in all histological types. We conclude that two distinct regions at 6q appear to be involved in the early stages of gastric carcinogenesis.