CHROMOSOME-ABERRATIONS IN PROPHYLACTIC MASTECTOMIES FROM WOMEN BELONGING TO BREAST-CANCER FAMILIES

Short-term cultures of samples from eight prophylactic mastectomies fr om five unrelated women who were genetically predisposed to breast can cer were analyzed cytogenetically. Clonal chromosome abnormalities wer e detected in five breasts. Three samples from two women had aberratio ns involving the short arm of chromosome 3, with a breakpoint in 3p14 in common. Three samples from three women had rearrangements of 1q. Tw o of them, one of which also displayed a 3p14 rearrangement, shared a breakpoint in 1q41. Both 1q41 and, in particular, 3p14 have been repor ted to be rearranged frequently in malignant breast proliferations. Wh ether alterations of genes in these bands are essential in mammary tum origenesis and, if so, whether they are equally important in sporadic and in hereditary cases remains to be explored. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, I nc.