KARYOTYPIC ABNORMALITIES IN ADENOCARCINOMAS OF THE LUNG

Cytogenetic analysis of 114 adenocarcinomas of the lung revealed clona l abnormalities in 67 tumors. The chromosome numbers ranged from near- diploid to hypertetraploid. Clonal abnormalities seen as the sole anom aly were loss of the Y chromosome (21 tumors), trisomy 7 (2 tumors), a nd trisomy 12 (1 tumor). A supernumerary ring chromosome was the only clonal change in 4 tumors. The bands most often affected were 17p11-13 (13 cases), 1q10-12 and 1p22 (10 cases each), 1p11-13 and 1q21 (9 cas es each), and 11p11, 11p15 and 15p11-13 (6 cases each). The chromosome s most frequently involved in structural rearrangements were chromosom es 1 (30 cases), 11 (20 cases), 3 (17 cases), 17 and 7 (16 cases each) . Repeated loss of material from chromosome arms 1p, 3p, 6q, 11p, and 17p and gains of 1q were found. Recurrent structural changes were del( 1)(p22) and i(5)(p10) (5 cases each) i(1)(q10), i(13)(q10), i(14)(q10) and del(17)(p11) (3 cases each). We found no abnormalities that seeme d to be specifically associated with pulmonary adenocarcinomas, but is ochromosomes i(1)(q10), i(5)(p10) and i(13)(q10) and changes of 6q wer e present in our series at frequencies higher than those generally see n in the other main types of lung cancer.