Molecular markers of various stages of non-small-cell lung cancer

Studies performed in the recent decade in the Laboratory of the Regulation of Cell and Virus Oncogenes associated structural and functional defects of several oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes with various stages of non-small-cell lung cancer. High risk of lung cancer was established for carriers of rare alleles of the Hras1 minisatellite, the hypermethylated p16(INK4A) promoter, and microsatellite defects in chromosome regions 3p12, 3p14.2, 3p22-24, 3p21, 3p25, 9p21, and 17p13. Analysis of the HrasI minisatellite and microsatellites located in two minimal deletion overlap regions of 1p36 was shown to allow a more reliable prognosis in lung cancer. The results testified again that panels of molecular markers are useful for individual risk assessment, early and differential diagnosis, and prognosis in cancer.