Denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) is a recently developed method for detection of mutation that is gaining importance as a screening method for analyzing familial breast cancers, as well as heterogeneous tumor material.

DHPLC was established for mutation detection in BRCA1/2 diagnostic, using more than 200 different positive controls. Up until now, 64 DNA samples from patients with familial background for breast cancer (BC) were analyzed by DHPLC for BRCA1/2 mutations. An additional 136 sporadic BC were examined for p53 mutations, analyzing exons 5-8 by DHPLC. Positive results were confirmed by direct DNA sequencing.

The analysis of 64 DNA samples from patients with familial background for BC revealed several mutations and unclassified variants (UVs). Twenty-three different p53 mutations could be detected in 138 sporadic BC. Dilution of mutant DNA by wild-type DNA revealed the high sensitivity of this method: 5% mutant DNA is sufficient to achieve a positive DHPLC result. However, confirming a positive DHPLC result by DNA sequencing is difficult in heterogeneous tumor material.

DHPLC is a reliable, high-throughput technique for detection of mutation in familial breast cancers, as well as in heterogeneous tumor material.