CYTOGENETICS OF CARCINOMA OF THE CERVIX UTERI - A REVIEW

Cytogenetic studies on carcinoma of the cervix have shown the nonrando m involvement in structural changes of a number of chromosomes, partic ularly chromosomes 1, 3, 5, 11, and 17. Apart from chromosome 5, where a short-arm isochromosome is the commonest derivative, these chromoso mes most often undergo short-arm deletions. Notably, chromosome 17 may have undergone structural changes that result in loss of the tumor su ppressor gene TP53 on 17p; chromosomal translocations may in some tumo rs perform the function that in others is provided by human papillomav irus protein complexing with and inactivating this gene. The chromosom e 1 changes may sometimes result in the duplication of long-arm materi al. Although there have been few comparable studies on the preinvasive stages of cancer of the cervix, it is clear from earlier chromosome a nd quantitative DNA studies that, except perhaps in the ''mild dysplas ias,'' there already is clonal development that has resulted in an ane uploid population with a mode that, as in carcinomas, is either in the diploid or (in 50% or more) triploid-tetraploid range; spindle defect s are prominent and may result in unequal segregation of the chromosom es into the daughter cells. Further characterization of the chromosoma l changes in carcinoma of the cervix, and more particularly its preinv asive stages, using the new molecular DNA techniques is eagerly awaite d. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1997.