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Female CHEK2c.1100delC heterozygotes are eligible for additional breast surveillance because of an increased breast cancer risk. Increased risks for other cancers have been reported. We studied whether CHEK2c.1100delC is associated with an increased risk for other cancers within these families.

We describe a unique case of achondroplasia with associated complications, including severe respiratory problems. Molecular analysis of the fibroblast growth factor receptor type 3 (FGFR3) gene in this patient showed the common p.G380R mutation and a second novel p.L377R mutation. An allele‐specific PCR demonstrated that these mutations were on the same allele (cis). Both mutations were not present in the parents and appear to have occurred de novo. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the literature on an achondroplasia patient with two FGFR3 mutations on the same allele. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

We present a boy with blepharophimosis, ptosis, epicanthus inversus, microcephaly, mild mental retardation, and growth delay. Chromosomal analysis revealed a male karyotype with an interstitial deletion in the long arm of chromosome 3. DNA‐analysis showed that the deletion is of maternal origin and encompasses the region between markers D3S1535 and D3S1593. The deletion contains not only the FOXL2 gene, but also the gene encoding ataxia‐telangiectasia and Rad3‐related protein (ATR). Mutations in FOXL2 have been shown to cause blepharophimosis‐ptosis‐epicanthus inversus syndrome (BPES). ATR has been identified as a candidate gene for Seckel syndrome, an autosomal recessive syndrome that comprises growth retardation, microcephaly, and mental retardation. We hypothesize that our patient has a contiguous gene syndrome and that the non‐BPES‐associated abnormalities (microcephaly, mild mental retardation, and growth delay) are the result of the deletion of the maternal ATR gene. However, it has not yet been excluded that haploinsufficiency of some other gene in this region plays a role. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

A grandmother, her three children, and three grandchildren had skeletal abnormalities consisting of a short stature, bilateral symmetrical very short, broad and bowed radii, very short and broad ulna, mildly short lower legs, short proximal end of fibula, abnormal ankles, abnormal calcaneus and talus and pes equinus. They had normal craniofacial features, normal intelligence and normal chromosomes. We concluded that this skeletal dysplasia resembles the autosomal dominant mesomelic dysplasia, Kantaputra type. Prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound examination early in the pregnancy was possible. We found no evidence for a SHOX gene deletion or point mutation. As far as we know this is the third reported family with this skeletal dysplasia. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Background & Aims: There is limited data on the spectrum and risk for cancer associated with germline serine/threonine protein kinase 11 (STK11) mutations that cause Peutz-Jeghers syndrome (PJS). Methods: We analyzed the incidence of cancer in 240 individuals with PJS possessing germline mutations in STK11. Results: Fifty-four cancers were found among carriers. Overall, the risk for developing cancer at ages 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 years was 1%, 3%, 19%, 32%, 63%, and 81%, respectively. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed similar cancer risks between missense and truncating mutation carriers (log-rank @g^2 = 2.48; P = 0.12). There was some evidence that mutations in exon 3 of STK11 were associated with a higher cancer risk than mutations within other regions of the gene. We found no difference in overall cancer risk between male and female carriers (log-rank @g^2 = 1.31; P = 0.25) or between familial and sporadic cases (log-rank @g^2 = 1.16, with 1 df; P = 0.28). The most common cancers represented were gastrointestinal in origin-gastroesophageal, small bowel, colorectal, and pancreatic-and the risk for these cancers at ages 30, 40, 50, and 60 years was 1%, 10%, 18%, and 42%, respectively. In women, the risk for breast cancer was substantially increased, being 32% by age 60 years. Conclusions: These results quantitatively show the spectrum of cancer risk associated with STK11 germline mutations in the context of PJS and provide a valuable reference for defining surveillance regimens.

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of (pre)neoplastic lesions in overtly normal Fallopian tubes from women predisposed to developing ovarian carcinoma. The presence of (pre)neoplastic lesions was scored in histological specimens from 12 women with a genetically determined predisposition for ovarian cancer, of whom seven tested positive for a germline BRCA1 mutation. A control group included 13 women. Immunohistochemistry was used to determine the expression of p21, p27, p53, cyclin A, cyclin D1, bcl-2, Ki67, HER-2/neu, and the oestrogen and progesterone receptors. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis on the BRCA1 locus was also assessed on dysplastic tissue by PCR studies. Of the 12 women with a predisposition for ovarian cancer, six showed dysplasia, including one case of severe dysplasia. Five harboured hyperplastic lesions and in one woman no histological aberrations were found in the Fallopian tube. No hyperplastic, dysplastic or neoplastic lesions were detected in the Fallopian tubes of control subjects. In the cases studied, morphologically normal tubal epithelium contained a higher proportion of Ki67-expressing cells (p=0.005) and lower fractions of cells expressing p21 (p<0.0001) and p27 (p=0.006) than in the control group. Even higher fractions of proliferating cells were found in dysplastic areas (p=0.07) and accumulation of p53 was observed in the severely dysplastic lesion. Expression patterns of other proteins studied, including the hormone receptors, were similar in cases and controls. One subject, a germline BRCA1 mutation carrier, showed loss of the wild-type BRCA1 allele in the severely dysplastic lesion. In conclusion, the Fallopian tubes of women predisposed to developing ovarian cancer frequently harbour dysplastic changes, accompanied by changes in cell-cycle and apoptosis-related proteins, indicating an increased risk of developing tubal cancer. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.