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Biomedical subjects

K Hemminki

Publications and source records attributed to K Hemminki.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Apparent anticipation and heterogeneous transmission patterns in familial Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: report from a study based on Swedish cancer database.

The goal of this study was to test whether there is genetic anticipation in Hodgkin's disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We analyzed 102 parent-child pairs with HD or NHL, based upon the Swedish Cancer Database. We identified 18 sib-pairs (2 HD and 16 NHL) and 102 parent-child pairs (13 HD/HD, 56 NHL/NHL, 25 HD/NHL, and 8 NHL/HD). The mean anticipation score was 27.6 years for all 102 parent-child pairs. The anticipation means were 13.8, 28.4, 19.8 and 35.8 years for these pair-type groups, respectively. These differences between the age of onset for each affected parent-child pair type were statistically significant. The anticipation level was more pronounced among the NHUNHL pairs than in the HD/HD pairs (difference = 12.6 years, p = 0.0003). These results allow us to conclude with confidence that there is an apparent genetic anticipation in familial HD and NHL in the Swedish population.

Anticipation, Genetic↗
PubMed2001

Multiple regions with allelic loss at chromosome 3 in superficial multifocal bladder tumors.

We have examined six patients with multiple low grade, low stage superficial multifocal bladder tumors with surrounding tissues for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability at chromosome 3, totaling 76 samples. The majority (4/5) of the patients had LOH at or close to the fragile histidine triad (FHIT) gene (3p14.2; D3S1300), which is a candidate tumor suppressor gene for many cancer types. One patient showed a consistent LOH with four adjacent markers around FHIT region in all the tumors whereas in the corresponding surrounding tissues the heterozygosity was retained. In addition to the region near FHIT, two other regions had frequent allelic losses - one near the p telomere (3p25-26; D3S3050) and another near the q telomere (3q27; D3S2418). The largest numbers of LOH in the surrounding tissues were found at these regions (3/5 at D3S3050 and 2/5 at D3S2418). The D3S3050 marker is located at 3p26-3p25, near the Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene locus. LOH that were more random were found at 3q21.3-25.2 (D3S1744) and at 3p12-3p11 (D3S2465). Taken together, at least three regions at chromosome 3p25-26, 3p14.2 and 3q27 seem to have frequent loss of heterozygosity in multifocal superficial bladder tumors. We also performed a phylogenetic-type analysis to find out common changes and the degree of heterogeneity. The overall heterogeneity was low within a given patient: in all cases the majority of the tumor samples arranged in a single branch with a common origin. This point of origin varied from patient to patient, which is compatible with the earlier studies demonstrating the heterogeneity of the single primary bladder tumors. However, the phylogenetic-type analysis suggests that the FHIT region contains often the very first alterations at chromosome 3.

Chromosome Mapping↗
PubMed2001

Differential interactions between GSTM1 and NAT2 genotypes on aromatic DNA adduct level and HPRT mutant frequency in lung cancer patients and population controls.

We have studied the influence of GSTM1 and NAT2 genotypes on aromatic DNA adduct level (AL) and HPRT mutant frequency (MF) in smokers with newly diagnosed lung cancer and matched population controls. AL was analyzed in relation to genotypes in 170 cases and 144 controls (113 current/recent smokers and 201 former/never smokers), and MF in 157 cases and 152 controls (155 ever smokers and 154 never smokers). Both genotypes exhibited the a priori expected effects on AL and MF among controls only, especially among smoking controls [significantly lower pack-years (a pack-year is defined as 1 pack of cigarettes/day for 1 year) than among cases]. Among the 42 currently smoking controls, the NAT2 slow genotype [odds ratio (OR), 7.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.5-38.4], in particular in combination with the GSTM1 null genotype (OR, 19.3, 95% CI, 1.1-338.6 for null/slow versus positive/rapid) was strongly associated with high AL. The null/slow combination was also significantly associated with high MF among ever smokers (cases and controls pooled) with lower pack-years (OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.3-10.7 versus all of the other genotypes; OR, 5.1; 95% CI, 1.2-22.4 versus positive/rapid). In contrast, an antagonistic gene-gene interaction was seen among smoking cases for both AL and MF. Only currently smoking cases with the combined GSTM1 null and NAT2 rapid genotype showed a positive correlation between InAL and InMF (r, 0.64; P = 0.1), and an increase of AL with both age and daily cigarette use. This genotype combination was also associated with high MF among ever-smoking cases (OR, 4.0; 95% CI, 0.9-17.7 versus positive/rapid). There was a significant interaction between NAT2 genotype and pack-years of smoking among cases, so that the rapid genotype was associated with high MF among ever-smoking cases diagnosed at higher pack-years, whereas the slow genotype was associated with high MF at lower pack-years. These findings suggest that the influence of NAT2 genotype on AL and MF and its interaction with GSTM1 genotype may be dose dependent. The NAT2 slow genotype, in particular when combined with the GSTM1 null genotype, may confer increased susceptibility to adduct formation, gene mutation, and lung cancer when the smoking dose is low.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Ultraviolet radiation-induced photoproducts in human skin DNA as biomarkers of damage and its repair.

We have developed a 32P-postlabelling method for quantifying ultraviolet irradiation (UV)-induced cyclobutane dimers and 6-4 photoproducts in human skin in situ. We review the application of the method in studies with human volunteers, demonstrating dose-response relationships over a wide range of administered doses, repair kinetics of UV-damaged DNA among healthy individuals and melanoma patients, and modulation by sunscreens, tan and constitutive pigmentation of damage induction. A notable finding is the wide interindividual variation in DNA damage immediately after irradiation and in its repair. Moreover, the protective effects of sunscreens against erythema and DNA damage also show wide interindividual variation. These results cannot be explained by variation in the experimental methods used. The worst-case scenario is that the differences between individuals are multiplicative, resulting in 1000-fold differences in sensitivity in the population, which would be likely to translate into differences in risk of skin cancer.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed2001

Biomarkers of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA damage and cigarette smoke exposures in paired maternal and newborn blood samples as a measure of differential susceptibility.

Human and experimental evidence indicates that the developing fetus may be more susceptible than the adult to the effects of certain carcinogens, including some polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Factors that can modulate susceptibility include proliferation rates, detoxification capabilities, and DNA repair capacity. Biomarkers can facilitate quantification of age-related susceptibility among human populations. In this study, we report on three biomarkers measured in paired blood samples collected at birth from 160 Polish mothers and newborns: 70 pairs from Krakow (a city with high air pollution including PAHs) and 90 pairs from Limanowa (an area with lower ambient pollution but greater indoor coal use). Biomarkers were: WBC aromatic-DNA adducts by (32)P-postlabeling and PAH-DNA adducts by ELISA (as indicators of DNA damage from PAHs and other aromatics) and plasma cotinine (as an internal dosimeter of cigarette smoke). Correlations were assessed by Spearman's rank test, and differences in biomarker levels were assessed by the Wilcoxon signed-ranks test. A significant correlation between paired newborn/maternal samples was seen for aromatic-DNA adduct levels (r = 0.3; P < 0.001) and plasma cotinine (r = 0.8; P < 0.001) but not PAH-DNA adduct levels (r = 0.14; P = 0.13). Among the total cohort, levels of the three biomarkers were higher in newborn samples compared with paired maternal samples. The difference was significant for aromatic-DNA adduct levels (16.6 +/- 12.5 versus 14.21 +/- 15.4/10(8) nucleotides; P = 0.002) and plasma cotinine (14.2 +/- 35.5 versus 8.3 +/- 24.5 ng/ml; P < 0.001) but not for PAH-DNA adduct levels (7.9 +/- 9.9 versus 5.9 +/- 8.2/10(8) nucleotides; P = 0.13). When analyses were restricted to the 80 mother/newborn pairs from whom the blood sample was drawn concurrently (within 1 h of each other), levels of all of the three biomarkers were significantly higher in the newborn compared with paired maternal blood samples (P < 0.05). Results suggest reduced detoxification capabilities and increased susceptibility of the fetus to DNA damage, especially in light of experimental evidence that transplacental exposures to PAHs are 10-fold lower than paired maternal exposures. The results have implications for risk assessment, which currently does not adequately account for sensitive subsets of the population.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Second primary cancers after sporadic and familial colorectal cancer.

Second cancers were studied among 68,104 cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) from the Swedish Family-Cancer Database. A total of 1,113 patients received a diagnosis of second CRC; 25 of them had a family history of CRC. Cases of second CRC with a family history were diagnosed up to 10 years before sporadic cases. The relative risk (RR) of all second CRCs was 2.21 compared with the first CRC. Familial second CRCs had a 2-fold risk compared with the sporadic forms. Age of onset was the most important covariate of second CRCs; the relative risk at ages 15-39 years was 27 compared with the first CRC. Familial CRC was associated with a high risk of small-intestinal, endometrial, and gastric cancers apart from CRC, all typical of hereditary nonpolyposis CRC (HNPCC). Among familial cases, 36% of second CRCs and 100% of endometrial cancers came from families that fulfilled the Bethesda criteria for HNPCC. Only 12 families conformed to the Amsterdam criteria; in family members, the risk of second CRC was 127-fold and that of endometrial cancer 257-fold. Other sites that were in excess among all second cancers were many cancers linked to HNPCC and, additionally, breast, prostate, thyroid and other endocrine, skin, and genital cancers. The high risk of second cancer after early-onset CRC calls for evaluation of family history and clinical surveillance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Familial bladder cancer in the National Swedish Family Cancer Database.

PURPOSE: We analyzed the risk of bladder cancer in offspring according to parental and sibling cancer using the national Swedish Family Cancer Database. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cancer data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Registry for 1958 to 1996, including 2,105 cases of bladder cancer in offspring. The standardized incidence ratio was used to measure cancer risk in offspring according to familial cancer status. RESULTS: The incidence ratio of bladder cancer increased in Sweden from 1958 to 1996 and it was 3 to 4-fold higher in males than in females. We identified 65 families in which the parents and offspring had bladder cancer with a familial risk of 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.97 to 1.79) in sons and 2.29 (95% CI 1.46 to 3.29) in daughters. Discordant cancer sites associated with bladder cancer in the 2 generations were the kidney and thyroid with a standardized incidence ratio of 1.58 (95% CI 1.18 to 2.05) and 1.89 (95% CI 1.00 to 3.05), respectively. Sibling risk was higher compared with offspring risk with a standardized incidence ratio of 2.96 (95% CI 1.41 to 5.08) and in males there was a statistically significant ratio of sibling-to-offspring risk of 2.66 (95% CI 1.29 to 5.45). Patient age at onset modified the familial risk. The highest familial risk of 7.26 (95% CI 2.61 to 14.24) was observed in the brothers of bladder cancer probands diagnosed before age 45 years. CONCLUSIONS: The relatively high ratio of sibling-to-offspring risk as well as observed gender specific effects in bladder cancer may reflect an X linked susceptibility gene.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Single nucleotide polymorphism analyses of the human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (pCNA) and flap endonuclease (FEN1) genes.

The products of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and flap endonuclease (FEN1) genes are multifunctional proteins that are involved in DNA replication and damage repair. Yeast models suggest association of mutant forms of PCNA and FEN1 with genomic instability. In our study, we have determined the single nucleotide polymorphisms in human PCNA and FEN1 genes. We sequenced the coding region and adjacent noncoding region of both the PCNA and FEN1 genes in 120 alleles (60 individuals). In the PCNA gene, we detected 9 sequence variants with Hardy-Weinberg allele frequency ranging from 0.008 to 0.088. No polymorphism was detected in the FEN1 gene. The sequence variants in the PCNA gene included 7 intronic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and 2 synonymous exonic SNPs. All the intronic SNPs were located in introns 1 and 4, which contain several regulatory elements involved in the control of PCNA gene expression. Six of the 7 intronic SNPs showed complete linkage disequilibrium. We confirmed this allelic linkage disequilibrium by allele-specific PCR sequencing. We genotyped 117 additional individuals belonging to 3 population subgroups using the PCR-RFLP method. Finally, to see if the detected polymorphisms are associated with any cancer type, we genotyped cases with melanomas (37 cases), breast cancers (118 cases) and lung cancers (100 cases). We did not find statistical difference in frequency of polymorphism in any cancer type compared with healthy controls, although in breast cancer the frequency was low. Our results suggest that the coding regions of the PCNA and FEN1 genes are highly conserved when compared with other DNA repair genes. The potential of some of the detected intronic polymorphisms to effect regulation of the PCNA gene expression remains to be determined.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Risk factors and age-incidence relationships for contralateral breast cancer.

The nation-wide Swedish Family-Cancer Database was used to analyze the risk of contralateral breast cancer among 72,092 women with unilateral breast cancer. Contralateral breast cancer, defined as being diagnosed 6 months or more after the first breast cancer, affected 2,529 women (3.5%). In a young age group the incidence of contralateral breast cancer was 50 times higher than the incidence of first breast cancer; for all contralateral breast cancer the difference was 5-fold. Because only 1 breast was at risk for contralateral breast cancer, the true differences to unilateral cancer were 2 times higher. The age-incidence relationship was unusual, exhibiting a high incidence (800/10(5) person-years) component at an early age (25 to 49 years) and a lower incidence (460/10(5) person-years) component at a later age (50-80 years). The discrete components suggest population heterogeneity. Age at diagnosis of the first breast cancer and family history of breast cancer associated with the risk of contralateral breast cancer. Other, weaker risk factors were birth cohort, age at first childbirth, parity and interval between first and second breast cancer. The incidence of familial contralateral breast cancer was 1. 5 times higher than that of sporadic disease, and its age-incidence curve also exhibited 2 separate components. The age-incidence relationships of contralateral breast cancer suggest that the disease affects a small and heterogeneous susceptible population.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Familial cancer risks to offspring from mothers with 2 primary breast cancers: leads to cancer syndromes.

The nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database was used to analyse the risk of cancer among the offspring of bilateral breast cancer patients. We studied 4,734 such mothers who had 9,391 offspring, of whom 328 presented with a primary cancer in the years 1958-1996. Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were increased for breast [SIR 3.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.57-3.59], ovarian (SIR 1.84, 95% CI 1.03-3.05) and anogenital (SIR 1.75, 95% CI 1.11-2.63) cancers and childhood sarcomas (SIR 9.39, 95% CI 1.93-29.13). Additionally, squamous-cell skin cancer was increased among sons and all childhood cancers among daughters. When analysed by histological type, adenocarcinomas of the breast and ovary, all squamous-cell carcinomas and tumours at glandular epithelium (seminomas and intestinal carcinoids) were increased. Mothers with bilateral breast cancer had an excess of 2 or more children with cancer. The increased risk of ovarian cancer is consistent with germline mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, while the risk of soft tissue and bone sarcomas may reflect the association of these tumours with Li-Fraumeni syndrome. The increases in squamous-cell carcinomas at many sites may reflect a new susceptibility syndrome.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Allelic losses demonstrate monoclonality of multifocal bladder tumors.

The clonality of multifocal bladder tumors has been studied over the years with some controversial results. We have examined 5 patients with 2-11 low-grade superficial multifocal bladder tumors for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 87 loci on 9 chromosomes. When LOH was detected at a given marker, the tumors consistently showed deletion of a specific allele, suggesting the monoclonality of the patients' tumors. No allelic imbalancies were detected between heterozygote alleles, and the allelic losses were only slightly biased toward the loss of the shorter alleles as the overall ratio was 0.48 +/- 0.10 (0.50 for nonbiased). We calculated the probabilities for monoclonality using binomial distribution. The use of multiple tumors with multiple microsatellite markers gives high statistical power for the calculation. The combined probabilities for monoclonality varied from 0.984 to (1-4 x 10(-28)). Thus, in most (4/5) cases, the probability for polyclonality was <2 x 10(-16). These results demonstrate that superficial multifocal bladder tumors are most likely of monoclonal origin.

Alleles↗
PubMed2000

Environmental and heritable factors in the causation of cancer--analyses of cohorts of twins from Sweden, Denmark, and Finland.

BACKGROUND: The contribution of hereditary factors to the causation of sporadic cancer is unclear. Studies of twins make it possible to estimate the overall contribution of inherited genes to the development of malignant diseases. METHODS: We combined data on 44,788 pairs of twins listed in the Swedish, Danish, and Finnish twin registries in order to assess the risks of cancer at 28 anatomical sites for the twins of persons with cancer. Statistical modeling was used to estimate the relative importance of heritable and environmental factors in causing cancer at 11 of those sites. RESULTS: At least one cancer occurred in 10,803 persons among 9512 pairs of twins. An increased risk was found among the twins of affected persons for stomach, colorectal, lung, breast, and prostate cancer. Statistically significant effects of heritable factors were observed for prostate cancer (42 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 29 to 50 percent), colorectal cancer (35 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 10 to 48 percent), and breast cancer (27 percent; 95 percent confidence interval, 4 to 41 percent). CONCLUSIONS: Inherited genetic factors make a minor contribution to susceptibility to most types of neoplasms. This finding indicates that the environment has the principal role in causing sporadic cancer. The relatively large effect of heritability in cancer at a few sites suggests major gaps in our knowledge of the genetics of cancer.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Styrene oxide-induced 2'-deoxycytidine adducts: implications for the mutagenicity of styrene oxide.

The reaction between 2'-deoxycytidine and styrene 7,8-oxide (SO) resulted in alkylation at the 3-position and at the O(2)-position through the alpha- and beta-carbons of the epoxide but at the N(4)-position only through the alpha-carbon. The 3-alkylated adducts were found to deaminate to the corresponding 2'-deoxyuridine adducts (37 degrees C, pH 7.4) with half-lives of 6 min and 2.4 h for the alpha- and beta-isomers, respectively. The N(4)-alkylated products were stable at neutral pH. The O(2)-alkylated products were unstable being prone to depyrimidation and to isomerisation between alpha- and beta-isomers. In SO-treated double-stranded DNA, enzymatic hydrolysis allowed the identification of the beta3-deoxyuridine and alphaN(4)-deoxycytidine adducts (1.9 and 0.5% of total alkylation, respectively), in addition to the previously identified DNA-adducts. The 3-substituted uracil may have implications for the mutagenicity of SO.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Effect of age on the formation and repair of UV photoproducts in human skin in situ.

Ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced photoproducts can be measured by a number of methods. The newly developed 32P-postlabelling method is feasible in molecular epidemiological studies due to its sensitivity, specificity and little amount DNA needed. We applied the 32P-postlabelling method to investigate the induction and repair of photoproducts (cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers (CPDs) and 6-4 photoproducts) after UVR in human skin in situ and studied the effects of age, skin type and gender. The study included 30 subjects aged 32-78 years. The photoproduct induction levels varied 7- to 15-fold between the individuals tested. All four types of photoproducts were induced at a higher frequency in the older population (>/=50 years) than in the younger population (<50 years). Individuals with skin type I and II had a higher CPD induction frequency than individuals with skin type III and IV. In both cases, the differences in thymidylyl (3'-5') thymidylyl (3'-5')-2'-deoxycytidine induction reached statistical significant levels (p<0.05). Photoproduct repair rates 24 h and 48 h after UV irradiation showed a large inter-individual variation. No clear effects of age, skin type or gender on DNA repair could be detected. Our data suggest that UV-induced DNA photoproduct levels increase with age.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Characterization of the major DNA adducts in the liver of rats chronically exposed to tamoxifen for 18 months.

Our previous study has shown that chronic exposure to tamoxifen (TAM) induced formation of high levels of DNA adducts in the liver, the target tissue of TAM-induced carcinogenesis in rats. One of the major DNA adducts (spot 1), as detected by 32P-postlabeling, accounted for 53% of the total adducts. To characterize this major adduct, the current study has compared spot 1 with two previously identified TAM-DNA adducts, i.e. alpha-TAM-N2-deoxyguanine (alpha-TAM-N2-dG) and alpha-N-desmethyl TAM-N2-deoxyguanine (alpha-N-dmTAM-N2-dG) by various rechromatography methods. It was found that spot 1 was further resolved into two fractions during rechromatography analysis, one fraction co-migrated with the alpha-TAM-N2-dG and the other fraction co-migrated with the alpha-N-dmTAM-N2-dG. These findings have demonstrated that chronic exposure to tamoxifen induced the same major DNA adducts, i.e. alpha-TAM-N2-dG and alpha-N-dmTAM-N2-dG as those detected in acutely exposed rats.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Familial relationships in thyroid cancer by histo-pathological type.

Thyroid cancer was studied in the Swedish Family-Cancer Database, which was updated in 1999 to cover individuals born after 1934 with their biological parents, for a total of 9.6 million persons. Cancer data were obtained from the Swedish Cancer Registry from 1958 to 1996 and included 2,435 thyroid cancers among offspring. Seventy-eight families were identified in which a parent and an offspring had a thyroid cancer. The familial standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were 7.8 and 2.5 for male and female adenocarcinomas (papillary and follicular cancer combined), giving a sex ratio of 2. 8. The familial SIRs for medullary and anaplastic carcinomas were about 4,000 and 300, respectively, without large sex difference. Medullary thyroid cancer has been coded as a separate entity since 1985, and the high familial SIR for anaplastic cancer was probably due to medullary cancer. The familial risks for all subgroups of thyroid cancer were highest in young age groups. The familial risk of medullary thyroid cancer may be the highest ever reported in population-based studies. Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 (MEN2) families were probably included but unambiguous diagnosis was not possible because of the coding practice. There was a strong association of medullary thyroid cancer in offspring and endocrine gland tumors in parents, which may be related to MEN2. Adenocarcinoma in offspring was not associated with discordant parental cancer.

Adolescent↗