CHROMOSOME IMBALANCES IN PAPILLARY RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA AND FIRST CYTOGENETIC DATA OF FAMILIAL CASES ANALYZED BY COMPARATIVE GENOMIC HYBRIDIZATION

We used comparative genomic hybridization to analyze 17 tumor samples from 11 patients with papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC), including three patients with hereditary papillary RCC. Whereas the most frequen t aberrations confirmed data obtained by banding analyses, copy number increases on 5q, which previously were considered characteristic of n onpapillary RCC, were identified in two cases. In two complex cases be longing to the same family, a characteristic pattern of chromosomal ab errations was found: five of the six imbalances present in the less co mplex case were included in the karyotype of the other case, suggestin g a genetically determined mechanism resulting in genomic instability of specific chromosomes or chromosomal subregions and/or selection of specific mutations.