KARYOTYPIC CHARACTERISTICS OF BORDERLINE MALIGNANT-TUMORS OF THE OVARY - TRISOMY-12, TRISOMY-7, AND R(1) AS NONRANDOM FEATURES

Clonal karyotypic abnormalities were detected in five of 14 cytogeneti cally analyzed borderline malignant ovarian tumors of clinical stages I-II. One mucinous and one seropapillary tumor had trisomy 7 and r(1)( p36q42) as the sole chromsome abnormality, respectively. Trisomy 12 wa s found in the remaining three cases. It was the only change in one mu cinous and one serous tumor, whereas the third, a seropapillary border line tumor, had the karyotype 49,XX,+5,+8,+12. These findings, especia lly when collated with those of previous reports on ovarian borderline tumor cytogenetics, indicate that +12 is the most consistent chromoso mal aberration in this group of neoplasms and that also +7 and r(1) ar e nonrandom features. From the karyotypic point of view, benign ovaria n tumors and well-differentiated carcinomas are similar to borderline ovarian tumors, with the possible exception that the former have no te ndency to form r(1). Highly malignant carcinomas, on the other hand, a re typically much more complex. Chromosome-level changes therefore can not account for the putative phenotypic passage through the most innoc uous tumor stages as epithelial ovarian neoplasms go from benign to fu lly malignant. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1996