Topoisomerase I and II activity in human breast, cervix, lung and colon cancer

✍ Scribed by Howard L. McLeod; Fiona Douglas; Melanie Oates; R. Paul Symonds; Drew Prakash; Ate G. J. Van Der Zee; Stanley B. Kaye; Robert Brown; W. Nicol Keith

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1994
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 534 KB
• Volume: 59
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910590506

✦ Synopsis

The identification of human DNA topoisomerases as cellular targets for active anti-cancer drugs has stimulated further interest in topoisomerase function in tumour biology. Topoisomerase I and II catalytic activity is detectable in many normal and malignant tissues. However, little is known about the expression of topoisomerases in most human solid tumours. The present study evaluated topoisomerase I and II activity in biopsy samples from 86 patients with breast, lung, cervix or colon cancers. Significant intra-and inter-tumour variation in topoisomerase expression was observed. Topoisomerase I activity was relatively high in cervix and colon tumours in comparison to lung and breast cancers. Topoisomerase II activity was high in cervix, colon and lung cancers relative to breast cancer. Topoisomerase I and II activity co-segregated in individual colon tumour samples, but no correlation was observed in cervix, lung or breast tumours. The large heterogeneity in both topoisomer-5To whom correspondence and reprint requests should be sent, at