Loss of heterozygosity studies indicate that chromosome arm 1p harbors a tumor supressor gene for renal oncocytomas.

We carried out a complete genome scan for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in four renal oncocytomas by using highly polymorphic CA repeat microsatellite loci. Three of the four tumors exhibited LOH for chromosome arm 1p, and the oncocytomas of both female patients lost Xq. Therefore, these chromosome arms may harbor tumor suppressor genes involved in the etiology of this disease. Although the genomes of ontocytomas are relatively stable, two different microsatellite loci in one tumor were mutated by + or - 2 nt. Similar alterations in CA repeats that are probably due to spontaneous mutation have been observed in renal cell carcinomas.