Relative paucity of p53 gene-mutations in male breast carcinomas.

Mutations of the p53 suppressor -ene are the most common genetic lesion noted in human cancers and appear to be relatively common (30%) as somatic cell mutations in female breast cancer. p53 mutations have also been frequently reported in familial breast cancers as in Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). Males with breast cancer are far rarer than females. We investigated the mutational spectra of the p53 gene in male breast cancers. Of 10 samples analyzed for p53 mutations in exons 5, 6. 7 and 8, only two showed point mutations corresponding to amino acid residues 248 and 290. One of the point mutations turned out to be a silent change, thus representing only DNA polymorphism. Although the number of male breast cancer samples thus far examined is small, the p53 mutations in male breast cancer (10%), unlike females (30%), does not appear to be as frequent.