Bi-allelic germline mutations of the Fanconi anemia (FA) genes, PALB2/FANCN and BRCA2/FANCD1, have been reported in a few Wilms tumor (WT) patients with an atypical FA phenotype. Therefore, we screened a random cohort of 47 Dutch WT cases for germline mutations in these two FA-genes by DNA sequencing and Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA). Although several cases appeared to carry missense variants, no bi-allelic pathogenic mutations were identified, indicating that bi-allelic mutations in these FA-genes do not contribute significantly to the occurrence of WT.
Copyright 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.