Chromosome rearrangements and flow cytometry in gallbladder carcinoma

Background: Gallbladder carcinoma is the first cause of cancer deaths among Chilean women. the few cytogenetic studies performed in these tumours have not found specific or primary chromosome abnormalities. Also, no relations hips with specific oncogenes have been found. Aim: To perform cytogenetic s tudies in gallbladder carcinoma. Material and methods: A chromosomal study and measurement of DNA content, was performed in 38 samples of advanced gal lbladder carcinoma and in 40 samples of gallbladders without malignant chan ges. Results: Hyperploidies were found in the karyotype of 15 carcinomas (n ear-tetraploidies). These findings were confirmed in the cytometric study. Multiple structural chromosome abnormalities were found in 11 of 15 samples , such as translocations, deletions, inversions, isochromosomes, rings and markers. Some chromosome alterations such as interstitial deletion of chrom osome 4, deletion of distal region of chromosome 12, deletion of distal seg ment of the short arm of chromosome 17 with a fracture point in p12 and rea rrangement of chromosome 6 were repeated in two or more cases. Conclusions: Hyperploidies in gallbladder carcinoma are an alteration that appears in a dvanced stages of the tumor, whose prognostic or diagnostic role should be explored. There are oncogenes related to some mentioned chromosomal fixture points, that should be explored with molecular techniques.