LINKAGE ANALYSIS OF FAMILIES WITH HEREDITARY RETINOBLASTOMA - NONPENETRANCE OF MUTATION, REVEALED BY COMBINED USE OF MARKERS WITHIN AND FLANKING THE RBI GENE

Nonpenetrance of the inherited mutation responsible for retinoblastoma has been reported. By DNA analysis in families with hereditary retinoblastoma, it is possible to identify healthy individuals in whom the mutation is nonpenetrant. This requires the use of DNA markers both within and flanking the retinoblastoma gene. We have analyzed the segregation of several markers in 19 families (69 meioses) with hereditary retinoblastoma. In two families a carrier was identified who showed nonpenetrance of the mutation predisposing to retinoblastoma. The intragenic markers were informative in 15 pedigrees. The use of flanking markers from the same chromosomal region caused an increase of the number of informative families to 18. No crossing-over within the gene was observed. In one family an inherited deletion involving one of the RB1 alleles was detected. Our findings emphasize the use of a combination of both intragenic and flanking markers to obtain both the highest reliability of carrier detection in families with hereditary retinoblastoma and an accurate estimate of the frequency of nonpenetrance

A GIANT CONGENITAL ORBITAL TUMOR - AN UNUSUAL PRESENTATION OF RETINOBLASTOMA

We report a case of an unusual giant congential tumor presenting in a newborn infant as a large exophytic mass emerging from the left orbit. After enucleation orbital recurrence developed within 14 days. No anti-tumor treatment was given and the child died at the age of 4 weeks. The histopathological and cytogenetical analysis of the tumor is presented. The tumor was diagnosed as a retinoblastoma but we could not exclude the possibility of a neuroblastoma. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc