Expression of c-myc in non-malignant and pre-malignant gastrointestinal disorders.

A monoclonal antibody 1-6E10 against the protein product p62c-myc of the c-myc oncogene was used to assess, by immunohistology, a variety of non-neoplastic and preneoplastic disorders of gastric and colonic mucosa. There were low levels of expression of the c-myc oncogenic product in normal gastric and colonic tissue. In gastric mucosa, increased expression was observed with inflammatory, metaplastic and dysplastic histological appearances. In the normal colon low levels of expression were observed, but there was increased expression in inflammatory disorders including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. There was also increased expression in colonic dysplasia associated with ulcerative colitis. The oncogene product was localized in the cytoplasm, nuclei and Golgi apparatus. C-myc 1-6E10 may therefore be used as a marker to identify the cellular proliferative response in gastric and colonic mucosa that is associated with inflammation as well as potentially neoplastic hyperproliferative states.