CHROMOSOMES IN GLIOMATOSIS CEREBRI

Gliomatosis cerebri is a rare brain tumor which histologically resembl es a diffuse cerebral astrocytoma. It can simultaneously infiltrate mu ltiple sites in the cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, and spinal cord. This remarkable diffuseness has led to the idea that gliomatosis cereb ri does not derive from a solitary focus but must arise from a broad f ield of glial cells. We studied the chromosomes from gliomatosis cereb ri in a 12-year-old boy by conventional cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Aside from normal cells, we found a majo rity of cells with the karyotype 44,XY,del(6)(q25),del(14)(q21), )(q10 ;q10),add(18)(q22),del(19)(p12),add(20)(p13), -21. A smaller proportio n of cells had 88 chromosomes with a doubling of this abnormal karyoty pe. These findings are consistent with a clonal neoplasm stemming from a single cell. The chromosome changes we observed, with the possible exception of the chromosome 6 deletion, did not resemble those frequen tly found in astrocytomas. Gliomatosis cerebri may therefore belong to a separate category of brain tumors. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.