Clinical correlations of genetic changes by comparative genomic hybridization in Ewing sarcoma and related tumors

Our previous comparative,genomic hybridization (CGH) study of Wing sarcoma and related turners showed that DNA sequence copy number increases of 1q21 similar to q22 and of chromosomes 8 and 12 were associated with trends towa rd poor survival (Armengol et al., Br J Cancer 1997, 75, 1403-1409). These trends were not statistically significant. In the present study, we analyze d 28 primary Ewing sarcomas and related tumors by CGH to study whether thes e (or other) changes have prognostic value in these tumors. Twenty-one tumo rs (75%) had changes with a mean of 1.9 changes per tumor. The most frequen t aberration was gain of chromosome 8 in 10 tumors (36%). Five rumors (18%) had copy number increases at 1q21 similar to 22 and 5 had gain of 7q. Copy number increase of 6p21.1 similar to pter, gain of chromosome 12, and loss of 16q were seen in 11%. Copy number increases of 1q21 similar to q22 and of chromosomes 8 and 12 were associated with trends toward worse outcome, b ut the differences did not reach statistical significance. A novel finding is the association of copy n umber increase at 6p with worse distant diseas e-free (P = 0.04) and overall survival (P = 0.004). To confirm this finding and to see whether copy number increases of 1q21 similar to q22 and of chr omosomes 8 and 12 have definite prognostic value, a larger number of cases needs to be studied. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1999. All rights reserved.