Genotype–phenotype analysis of von Hippel–Lindau syndrome in fifteen Indian families

Abstract The general prevalence of the familial multi-organ tumor disorder, von Hippel–Lindau syndrome (VHL), was estimated to be 1 in 25–40,000 in western studies two decades back. Few studies were done in Indian sub-continent, amidst a surge in clinical reports on VHL specific manifestations. The syndrome is correlated with mutations of the gene VHL (located in Chr 3p25.3). We aimed to conduct a prospective case series describing phenotypic and genotypic characteristics in Indian population. The VHL-specific clinical and radiological features were collected from patients and family members. Genotypic changes such as deletion/duplication or point mutation in the VHL locus were identified using sequencing and MLPA. Thirty-one subjects, from fifteen families with diagnosed VHL, were included in the study. Multicystic pancreas was found in 71 % (22/31), CNS hemangioblastoma in 68 % (21/31), renal cell carcinoma and retinal angiomas in 23 % (7/31) each, pheochromocytoma in 9.7 % (3/31) of the population and endolymphatic sac tumor in one subject. Four families (9 subjects) had full length deletion of VHL, three families (4 subjects) had a deletion of exon 3, eight families (18 subjects) had different exonic, splice-site and intronic point mutations and one subject had a de novo in-frame indel in exon 1. Multicystic pancreas and CNS hemangioblastomas were the most common manifestations in our population. The phenotypic expression patterns in terms of tum...
Source: Familial Cancer - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research