[The search for new candidate genes involved in ovarian cancer pathogenesis by exome sequencing].

Ovarian cancer is one of the most insidious of tumors among gynecological cancers in the world. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are associated with high risk of ovarian cancer; however, they are causative only in a fraction of cases. The search for new genes would expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying malignant ovarian tumors and could help to develop new methods of early diagnosis and treatment of the disease. The present study involved exome sequencing of eight DNA samples extracted from the blood of ovarian cancer patients. As a result of the study, 53057 modifications in one sample were identified on average. Of them, 222 nucleotide sequence modifications in DNA located in exons and splice sites of 203 genes were selected. On the basis of the function of these genes in the cell and their involvement in carcinogenesis, 40 novel candidate genes were selected. These genes are involved in cell cycle control, DNA repair, apoptosis, regulation of cell invasion, proliferation and growth, transcription, and also immune response and might be involved in development of ovarian cancer.

High frequency and allele-specific differences of BRCA1 founder mutations in breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients from Belarus.

Breast cancer and ovarian cancer are common malignancies in Belarus accounting for about 3500 and 800 new cases per year, respectively. For breast cancer, the rates and age of onset appear to vary significantly in regions differentially affected by the Chernobyl accident. We assessed the frequency and distribution of three BRCA1 founder mutations 5382insC, 4153delA and Cys61Gly in two hospital-based series of 1945 unselected breast cancer patients and of 201 unselected ovarian cancer patients from Belarus as well as in 1019 healthy control females from the same population. Any of these mutations were identified in 4.4% of the breast cancer patients, 26.4% of the ovarian cancer patients and 0.5% of the controls. In the breast cancer patients, BRCA1 mutations were strongly associated with earlier age at diagnosis, with oestrogen receptor (ER) negative tumours and with a first-degree family history of breast cancer, although only 35% of the identified BRCA1 mutation carriers had such a family history. There were no marked differences in the regional distribution of BRCA1 mutations, so that the significant differences in age at diagnosis and family history of breast cancer patients from areas afflicted by the Chernobyl accident could not be explained by BRCA1. We next observed a higher impact and a shifted mutational spectrum of BRCA1 in the series of Byelorussian ovarian cancer patients where the three founder mutations accounted for 26.4% (53/201). While the Cys61Gly mutation appeared underrepresented in ovarian cancer as compared with breast cancer cases from the same population (p = 0.01), the 4153delA mutation made a higher contribution to ovarian cancer than to breast cancer (p < 0.01). BRCA1 mutations were significantly enriched among ovarian cancer cases with a first-degree family history of breast or ovarian cancer, whereas the median age at ovarian cancer diagnosis was not different between mutation carriers and non-carriers. Taken together, these results identify three BRCA1 founder mutations as key components of inherited breast and ovarian cancer susceptibility in Belarus and might have implications for cancer prevention, treatment and genetic counselling in this population.

[Effectiveness and safety of combined mustoforan, cisplatin and tamoxifen for disseminated cutaneous melanoma (results of the IC4-10036-46-RU trial)].

The multi-center non-randomized clinical study included 38 patients, aged 31-70, with morphologically (histologically and/or cytologically) verified diagnosis of disseminated cutaneous melanoma established objective response in 18.5% and clinically significant effect (55.5%) following first-line treatment with fotemustine in conjunction with cisplatin and tamoxifen. Fotemustine as a first-line component of combination chemotherapy retarded metastatic spread to the brain. Since side-effects incidence was not high, the regimen may be used under outpatient hospital conditions.