myc family DNA amplification in tumors and tumor cell lines from patients with small-cell lung cancer.

The myc family DNA copy number of 291 specimens (183 tumors and 108 tumor cell lines) from patients with small-cell lung cancer has been reported in 15 different studies. Thirty-five of 108 (32%) cell lines from small-cell lung cancer patients have myc family DNA amplification (16 c-myc, 7 N-myc, and 12 L-myc). Thirty-seven of 183 (20%) tumors from patients with small-cell lung cancer have myc family DNA amplification (3 c-myc, 13 N-myc, and 18 L-myc). The myc family DNA copy number in tumors from patients with small-cell lung cancer is similar in the majority of sites from the same patient. The presence of myc family DNA amplification in the tumor cell line is also typically present in the tumor from the same patient. myc family DNA amplification is present in a minority of patients with small-cell lung cancer, and the data on its association with shorter survival of patients are meager at present. Future studies on the biology of the myc family in small-cell lung cancer may require use of newer technologies that can work with small tissue samples typically available at the start of therapy.