CYTOGENETIC AND HISTOLOGIC-FINDINGS IN 17 PULMONARY CHONDROID HAMARTOMAS - EVIDENCE FOR A PATHOGENETIC RELATIONSHIP WITH LIPOMAS AND LEIOMYOMAS

Pulmonary chondroid hamartomas (PCH) are benign tumors that contain me senchymal and epithelial components. In this series, we identified clo nal chromosome aberrations in mesenchymal cells from 10 of 17 PCH. Chr omosome band 12q15 was rearranged most frequently (N = 4), and one cas e had a t(12;14)(q15;q24) that was identical cytogenetically to the ch aracteristic translocation in uterine leiomyomas. Histologic review re vealed diverse mesenchymal populations, including undifferentiated cel ls, cartilage, adipose tissue, and smooth muscle, in most of the PCH. These findings suggest that PCH result from neoplastic transformation of a primitive mesenchymal cell that differentiates along chondroid, a dipose, and smooth muscle pathways. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.