ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was performed to see if a particular polymorphism in the l-myc, a nuclear oncogene at the 1p32 locus, might be associated with greater risk of gastric cancer, lung cancer and hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) in Korean patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Genomic DNA, derived from patients diagnosed with gastric cancer (n=57), lung cancer (n=39), HCC (n=35) and healthy individuals (n= 176), was examined. The l-myc polymorphism under study was visualized by PCR followed by EcoRI digestion. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the distribution of the l-myc polymorphism genotypes and allele frequencies between the cancer patients and the controls. CONCLUSION: The l-myc polymorphism does not appear to be indicative of elevated risk of cancers of the stomach, lung and HCC.