Amplification, Expression and Rearrangement of c-myc and N-myc Oncogenes in Human Lung Cancer

Abstract

Human lung cancers can be divided into two major classes according to their clinical, histological, biochemical, and karyotypic properties: non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (adenocarcinoma, epidermoid, large cell carcinoma) and “oat cell” or small cell lung cancer (SCLC) (Minna 1982; Gazdar 1980; Baylin 1980; Gazdar 1981a; Whang Peng 1982a). Of particular interest is a subset of SCLC, the morphological and biochemical variants (SCLC-V) (Gazdar 1981a; Radice 1982; Carney 1983). These variants can be seen histologically in approximately 6-15% of diagnostic biopsy specimens before any chemo- or radiotherapy treatment is given (Radice 1982; Hirsch 1983). At autopsy, approximately 30–40% of patients previously thought to have “pure” SCLC histologically will have these variant cells. Finally, patients with variant cells in their diagnostic biopsies have a fulminant course with inferior response to chemo- and radiotherapy and a much shorter survival than patients with “pure” SCLC (Radice 1982). Thus, clinically this SCLC-V group is quite significant.