Loss of heterozygosity at the DCC gene locus is not crucial for the acquisition of metastatic potential in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

Tumour specimens from 111 patients with oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma were screened for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at the deleted colorectal carcinoma (DCC) gene locus. DCC-LOH occurred in 10 of 61 informative cases (16%). No statistically significant correlation was observed between DCC-LOH and lymph node metastasis, histopathological grade or tumour stage. The survival of patients exhibiting DCC-LOH was not statistically different from that of patients without LOH. These results suggest that LOH at the DCC locus is not related to the acquisition of metastatic potential or the state of tumour cell differentiation in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma.