Pattern of p53 gene mutations in breast cancers of women of the midwestern United Stales

Background: Mutation in the p53 gene is the most common genetic lesion in human cancers. The pattern of muta-tion in the p53 gene differs among can-cers and may be a useful epidemi-ological tool for identification of factors contributing to carcinogenesis. Pur-pose: Our purpose was to determine if the pattern of p53 mutation in breast carcinomas in our population of women residing in the midwestern region of the United States is similar to the pattern of p53 mutation in breast cancers in patients from other regions of the United States and Europe and i