Jpn J Cancer Res  2002 Mar;93(3):267-74 

Mutations of p53, c-kit, K-ras, and beta-catenin gene in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
of adrenal gland.

Nakatsuka S, Hongyo T, Syaifudin M, Nomura T, Shingu N, Aozasa K.

Department of Pathology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita,
Osaka 565-0871, Japan.

Malignant lymphoma of the adrenal gland is a rare disease, usually with diffuse
large cell morphology and B-cell immunophenotype, and often associated with
Epstein-Barr virus infection. In this study, mutations of p53, c-kit, K-ras, and
beta-catenin gene were analyzed in 17 cases (13 males and four females with ages
ranging from 25 to 84 years) of such lymphomas by polymerase chain
reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism followed by direct sequencing.
Selected exons in each gene, representing hot spots, were analyzed. All 44
mutations detected were single-nucleotide substitutions and 33 were missense
mutations. Nineteen mutations were detected in exon 5 and / or 7 of the p53 gene
in nine of 17 cases (52.9%) and 21 in exon 11 and / or 17 of the c-kit gene in
10 of 14 cases (71.4%). Bilateral adrenal lesions in one case who had not
received any adjuvant therapy showed different mutational patterns of the p53
and c-kit genes, suggesting different clonal evolution of lymphoma between the
left and right sides. Mutation at codon 13 of the K-ras gene was detected in one
of 14 cases (7.1%), and in exon 3 of the beta-catenin gene in three of 12 cases
(25%). All but one mutation were transition mutations, indicating that some
endogenous mutagens act in lymphomagenesis in the adrenal gland. Our results
suggest that p53 and c-kit gene mutations might play a role in adrenal
lymphomagenesis.

PMID: 11927008 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]