Intratumoral heterogeneity of hst-1 gene amplification in esophageal carcinoma with reference to DNA stem line heterogeneity.

Amplification of the hst-1 gene was examined in 112 neoplastic lesions from 27 patients with esophageal carcinoma. Ninety specimens were separately obtained from two or more sections of each individual primary tumor with DNA stem line heterogeneity and 22 specimens were obtained from metastatic lymph node lesions. The assessment was that hst-1 gene amplification within each individual primary tumor was identical in all 27 cases (100%) and that the intensity of amplification in the primary tumor matched that in the metastatic lesion in 18 of 22 cases (82%). When we examined 33 endoscopic biopsy specimens from esophageal carcinoma in the same manner, the intensity of hst-1 gene amplification in the specimens was similar to that obtained in surgical specimens from 26 of the 33 patients (79%). These results suggest that hst-1 gene amplification might occur in a homogeneous manner as a relatively early genetic event prior to lymph node metastasis, and that therefore, prior to surgical treatment, it can be evaluated from a single biopsy specimen.