Cytogenetic analysis of invasive breast cancer: A study of 27 Asian patients

Tumor cytogenetic analysis from 27 patients with breast cancer diagnosed at the Singapore General Hospital revealed complex karyotypic aberrations in 12 cases. The study group comprised 25 women and 2 men, ranging in age from 33 to 78 years (median 52 years). Ethnic distribution consisted of 22 Chin ese, 3 Malaysian, and 2 Indian patients. Pathologic assessment disclosed 24 invasive ductal, 2 invasive mucinous, and I mixed invasive mucinous and du ctal carcinomas. Histologic grading showed 3 grade 1, 10 grade 2, and 12 gr ade 3 tumors; 2 cancers were not graded, because they had been subjected to prior chemotherapy. Tumor sizes ranged from 1.5 to 10 cm (median 3 cm). El even cases Mere axillary node negative, whereas the remaining 16 node-posit ive cancers affected as many as 3 nodes in 8 cases and 4 or more nodes in a nother 8. Twenty cases demonstrated estrogen-receptor positivity, and 8 cas es progesterone-receptor positivity. The spectrum of cytogenetic abnormalit ies involved chromosomes 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 16, and 17 and ranged from gain s and deletions of both long and short arms, trisomy monosomy, and other re arrangements. There was a trend toward the presence of karyotypic abnormali ties in tumors of higher grade. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights r eserved.