Rare occurrence of P53 gene mutations in multiple myeloma.

We looked for mutations of exons 5-8 of the P53 gene in bone marrow cell from 37 cases of multiple myeloma, using polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis and DNA sequencing. 25 patients also had cytogenetic analysis. A point mutation, leading to an amino acid change in the P53 protein was found in only one case, involving exon 5. These findings suggest that P53 mutations are very rare in multiple myeloma, and that this disease may be categorized among the few neoplasms where P53 abnormalities have very limited role, if any.