We conclude that the abnormalities of FHIT, presumably associated with the unstable nature of FRA3B within the FHIT gene, are involved in the carcinogenesis of gastric cancer, and lack of mismatch repair (MMR) could possibly promote its alteration in a subset of gastric tumours.
To elucidate the role of the FHIT gene in gastric cancer, a total of 133 curatively R0-resected gastric carcinomas were investigated for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 3p14.2, using four polymorphic microsatellite loci (D3S1300, D3S1313, D3S1481, and D3S1234).
The consequent absence or reduction of Fhit protein expression is consistent with the proposal that the FHIT gene is a preferential target of environmental carcinogens and that FHIT inactivation plays a role in the development of gastric cancer.