SIMPLE NUMERIC ABNORMALITIES AS PRIMARY KARYOTYPE CHANGES IN OVARIAN-CARCINOMA

Simple near-diploid karyotypes in ovarian cancer may indicate either p rimary alterations related to tumor pathogenesis or abnormalities asso ciated with early tumor progression. We have identified a series of 13 epithelial ovarian tumors with very simple karyotypes. Specifically, these karyotypes were near-diploid and displayed numeric abnormalities alone or combined with one or two structural alterations. The present series includes samples from 10 patients with newly diagnosed adenoca rcinomas and 3 patients having borderline malignancies. Recurrent nume ric abnormalities were identified and included 9/13 cases (69%) with 12, eight cases (62%) with + 8, five cases (38%) with + 7, three case s (23%) each with + 3 or + 5, and two cases (15%) with -X. Five cases in this series displayed certain numeric abnormalities (+ 12, + 7, and -X) as the sole anomalies, thereby qualifying as primary karyotype ch anges. Of the 6 cases with structural abnormalities, 4 involved chromo some 19, 2 involved chromosome I, and the remaining abnormalities or t ranslocation partners involved other chromosomes. These findings indic ate that some numeric abnormalities are primary karyotype alterations in patients with malignant epithelial ovarian rumors and that chromoso me 19 may be preferrentially involved in structural rearrangements dur ing early tumor progression. Genes Chromosom Cancer 10:262-266 (1994). (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.