New founder germline mutations of CDKN2A in melanoma-prone families and multiple primary melanoma development in a patient receiving levodopa treatment

Germline mutations in the CDKN2A gene have been shown to predispose individuals to cutaneous malignant melanoma. Here, we describe three melanoma-prone families and one isolated patient affected by multiple melanoma who carried a tandem germline mutation of CDKN2A at the nucleotide level, [c.339G>C;c.340C>T], [p.Leul 13Leu;p.Prol 14Ser]. We also describe three other melanoma-prone families that carried a missense germline CDKN2A mutation, c.167G>T, p.Ser5611e. All these families and patients resided in southeast France. We analyzed six 9p21 markers where the CDKN2A gene is located and found that carrier haplotypes for both mutations were consistent with two respective common founder ancestors. In one family, we identified two fourth-degree relatives homozygous for the Ser5611e mutation, indicating a possible consanguinity. Furthermore, we observed that a carrier of the founder CDKN2A [p.Leu 113Leu;p.Pro 114Ser] mutation as well as two MCI R moderate-risk variants, [p.Arg151Cys(+)p.Arg163G1n] developed 22 primary melanomas in the three years that followed initiation of levodopa therapy for Parkinson's disease. This observation suggests that there is a need for reconsideration of the hypothesis that levodopa may play a role in melanoma development, at least when in the context of a high-risk genetic background. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.