Abstract

The aim of this investigation was to determine the relationship between 3p loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer. Fifty cases of epithelial ovarian tumor, including 40 cases with malignant tumors and 10 cases with benign tumors, were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with D3s1228 and D3s1038 microsatellite polymorphism markers at 3p. Thirty-two of the 40 cases (80%) with ovarian cancer showed LOH at 3p14 or 3p25, but only 1 of 10 cases (10.0%) with benign ovarian tumor showed 3p LOH. Among them, 24 cases (60.0%) had LOH at 3p14 and 16 cases (40.0%) at 3p25, as well as 8 cases (20.0%) with codeletion on both 3p14 and 3p25. According to FIGO staging, the frequency of LOH at 3p in ovarian cancer patients with stage IIIa or IIIb was higher than that in patients with stage I or II (P < 0.05), but there was no relationship between 3p LOH and the pathologic types in epithelial ovarian cancer (P > 0.05). Since 3p LOH commonly occurs in epithelial ovarian cancer and LOH at 3p14 and 3p25 correlates to the staging of ovarian cancer, it is suggested that there are some candidate ovarian TSGs harbored in the 3p region and that the detection of 3p LOHs may be used as a genetic marker for monitoring the development of ovarian cancer.