p53 analysis of laryngeal cancer in exon 4 to 9.

p53 gene mutations are a common genetic alteration in human cancer and codon 72/exon 4 polymorphism of the p53 gene has been implicated in cancer risk. Therefore in this study the p53 gene status of 32 shock-frozen tumor specimens from larynx carcinomas was analyzed by PCR and sequencing of exon 4 through 9. Four mutations (12.5%) in exon 5, 7, 8 and 9 were detected in the carcinoma specimen. Analysis of codon 72 revealed in eight cases a homozygosity for proline (CCC) and in 24 cases heterozygosity or homozygosity for arginine (CGC). The group with the proline/proline genotype had a median age 10.3 years lower than the remaining patients and included the only two non-smokers. Firstly, these results confirm the p53 mutational status of laryngeal cancer without any clinical correlation and secondly may suggest an oncogenic potential for the proline/proline genotype of codon 72 for laryngeal cancer as has already been assumed for lung cancer.