ABNORMALITIES OF CHROMOSOME-22 IN PEDIATRIC MENINGIOMAS

Cytogenetic studies of eight meningiomas in young children or adolesce nts were performed. Two tumors exhibited normal karyotypes. Two tumors from patients with bilateral acoustic neurofibromatosis demonstrated monosomy 22 as the only abnormality. Four patients had more complicate d karyotypes in which one or both of the chromosomes 22 were missing o r structurally altered. The most common secondary changes in these fou r tumors involved monosomy or structural abnormalities of chromosome 6 . These findings confirm that the primary cytogenetic changes in menin gioma are similar in children and adults. Molecular analyses of pediat ric meningiomas with deletions or translocations of chromosome 22 will be useful for identifying the role of chromosome 22 tumor suppressor genes in this disease. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.