DISTINCT CHROMOSOMAL IMBALANCES IN UTERINE SEROUS AND ENDOMETRIOID CARCINOMAS

Endometrial carcinoma shows various histological types that differ in their clinical presentation and prognosis, Comparative genomic hybridi zation was used to detect gains and losses of DNA sequences along all chromosome arms in 24 uterine serous and 24 uterine endometrioid carci nomas. In serous carcinomas, extensive genetic aberrations were detect ed in 17 of the 24 specimens, with a mean of 5.7 changes per tumor, Th e most frequent gains occurred at 3q (50%), 8q (33%), 5p (29%), 6p (29 %), and 1q (29%), and the most common losses were located at 4q (17%), 15q (17%), and 18q (17%), Tumors exhibiting DNA copy number changes w ere associated with shorter overall survival. In endometrioid carcinom as, genetic aberrations were less frequent and simpler than in serous carcinomas, DNA sequence copy number changes were observed in 12 of th e 24 cases, with a mean of 1.5 changes per tumor, The most frequent ab errations were gains at lq (29%), 2q (13%), and 8q (13%). Losses were rarely observed. The diverging pattern of genetic changes observed in uterine serous and endometrioid carcinomas suggests different pathways of carcinogenesis in these tumor types.