CLONAL CHROMOSOME-ABNORMALITIES IN 54 CASES OF OVARIAN-CARCINOMA

As a prelude to assessing the relationship of chromosome alterations t o clinical outcome in ovarian carcinoma, we report on the cytogenetic analysis on short-term cultures from 54 patients. All patients had his topathologically confirmed malignancy, with the majority of cases demo nstrating serous ovarian adenocarcinomas. Structural alterations were evident in 52 cases, whereas numeric changes were identified in 13 cas es. The most notable numeric abnormalities were loss of the X-chromoso me (9/13 total cases) and +7 (3/9 diploid cases). Structural alteratio ns most frequently involved chromosomes 1, 3, 6, 7, 11, and 12, Chromo somal breakpoints were shown to cluster in several chromosomal banding regions, including 1p36, 1p21-q21, 3p23-p10, 7p (especially 7p22), 11 p, 11q, 12p13-q12, and 12q24. The frequency of structural alterations involving the following chromosome arms was found to be significantly increased: 1p (p < 0.01), 7p (p < 0.01), 11p (p < 0.01), 11q (p < 0.05 ), and 12p (p < 0.05). An analysis of the net gain or loss of chromoso me segments was also performed, with the most consistent tendency obse rved being over-representation of 1q and chromosome 7, deletion of 1p, and loss of the X chromosome.