Introduction/Background Ovarian carcinoma results from a succession of genetic alterations involving proto-oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, which have a critical role in normal cell growth regulation. Alterations of the c-erbB-2 and c-Myc proto-oncogenes and p53 and BRCA1 tumor suppressor genes, have been frequently observed in a sporadic ovarian carcinoma. The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of heterozygosity loss (LOH) in the p53 and BRCA1 genes regions, so as the frequency of the c-Myc and c-erbB-2 oncogenes amplification in the sporadic epithelial ovarian carcinomas, together with the association of this alterations with the stage and prognosis of the disease.

Results LOH in the p53 gene region was detected in 31% of tumor samples of which all were in the FIGO IIIc stage. In the BRCA1 gene region, LOH was detected in 39% of tumor samples. By the FIGO classification 60% of this cancers were in the stage IIIc. LOH in both of the analyzed regions was detected in 7.7% of samples, in the FIGO IIIc stage.

Both the amplification of the c-myc and c-erbB-2 oncogenes were found in 27% of the analyzed samples, ranging from 50% to 250%. It is worth to mention that erb was deleted in four samples (27%). In one of them, amplifications of both myc and erb genes were found at the same time (6.6%). Most of the ovarian carcinomas (60%) with alterations in c-Myc and c-erbB-2 belonged to advanced FIGO stages (IIIc).

Conclusion Both types of gene alterations, LOH in the p53 and BRCA1 genes and amplification of c-Myc and c-erbB-2 oncogenes, are most likely late events in pathogenesis of the sporadic epithelial ovarian cancers that correlate with an advanced stage of the disease and are considered as unfavorable prognostic parameter.

Disclosures Loss of heterozygosity in the p53 and BRCA1 genes and amplification of c-Myc and c-erbB-2 oncogenes correlate with an advanced stage of the epithelial ovarian cancers and are considered as unfavorable prognostic parameter.