LOH and copy neutral LOH (cnLOH) act as alternative mechanism in sporadic colorectal cancers with chromosomal and microsatellite instability

Abstract

Our results suggest that in addition to classical LOH, cnLOH is an important mutational event in relation to the carcinogenesis of MSS and MSI tumors, causing the inactivation of a tumor suppressor gene without copy number alteration of the respective region; this is crucial for the development of MSI tumors and for some chromosomal regions in MSS tumors.