Analysis of the retinoblastoma tumour suppressor gene in pancreatic endocrine tumours

Abstract

In tumours in which Rb inactivation is pathogenetically important, somatic loss of one Rb allele commonly accompanies a point mutation or microdeletion within the other allele. Thus, the absence of demonstrable allelic loss in this large series strongly suggests that Rb gene inactivation is not frequently involved in the pathogenesis of human pancreatic endocrine tumours.