In Vitro Evidence of Genetic Heterogeneity within the Heritable Colon Cancer Syndromes with Polyposis Coli

Abstract

Assays of in vitro biological properties associated with cellular transformation revealed differences in cultured skin cells within the heritable colon cancer syndromes with polyposis coli. Such evidence suggested that genetic heterogeneity, long assumed from in vivo differences in extracolonic lesions in these syndromes, could be detected in vitro. None of the properties studied nor any grouping of them made identification of a specific genotype possible.

Key-words:

• Hereditary colon cancer syndromes
• in vitro growth kinetics
• transformation assays