Several polymorphisms in the CYP1A1 (P450 superfamily of drug metabolizing enzymes) have been described, and two of them: an A to G change in exon 7(Ile→Val, and a MspI polymorphism downstream the poly A signal, are genetically linked, and the Val and digested (C/C) alleles have been associated with the development of lung cancer in smoker patients, but not with other cancers as breast, stomach, bladder and colon.

METHODS: We have obtained samples from 40 healthy individuals and 76 osteosarcoma (OS) and 21 Ewing Sarcoma (ES) pediatric patients. DNA was extracted following standard procedures. Exon 7 A to G polymorphism: the presence of the Ile or Val alleles was recognized by PCR amplification with allele-specific primers. MspI RFLP: this marker was analyzed by PCR amplification and restriction with MspI. Data distribution and X2 values were ananlyzed by the SPSS programme.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Allele distribution in cancer patients and healthy population:Table

Table 1 Contributions of pneumococcal research to biomedical science
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No statistical differences were found between the populations analyzed. We did not find either relationship between these polymorphisms and alterations in the TP53 or p16INK4 tumor suppressor genes. We conclude that the “at risk” alleles for these polymorphisms are not significantly increased among bone cancer pediatric patients, a reasonable conclusion given that ES and OS are not typically chemically induced cancers.