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Mutagenesis, Vol. 16, No. 6, 555-556,
November 2001
© 2001 UK Environmental Mutagen Society/Oxford University Press
LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
Reply to the contribution of Hainaut, Olivier and Pfeifer (TP53 mutation spectrum in lung cancers and mutagenic signature of components of tobacco smoke: lessons from the IARC TP53 mutation database)
Analytisch-Biologisches Forschungslabor (ABF), Goethestraße 20, D-80336 Munich, Germany
Abstract
The topic of my contribution published recently in a `Discussion Forum' in Mutagenesis was the comparison of different versions of the IARC p53 database with respect to data on lung cancer of smokers and non-smokers. Most importantly, this comparison revealed a number of discrepancies in the classification of smoking status of identical lung cancer entries in different versions (R1, R2 and R3) of the database. Additionally, no statistically significant differences in G
T transversion mutation frequencies or in mutational hotspots at codons 157, 248 and 273 were found in the R3 version of the database comparing lung cancer in smokers and non-smokers. Finally, a possible influence of confounding factors on p53 mutation spectra was demonstrated. In the present Letter Hainaut et al. refer to my paper and conclude that `indiscriminate inclusion of mutations in his dataset may partially explain what he sees as discrepancies'. I appreciate the editors of Mutagenesis giving me the opportunity to reply to some critical comments made by Hainaut et al.