Loss in 3p and 4p and gain of 3q are concomitant aberrations in squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva

Neoplasm of the vulva is a rare malignancy accounting for <5% of all female genital-tract cancer. However, in recent years the incidence of vulva intr aepithelial neoplasia, known to serve as a precursor to carcinoma, has incr eased in young women generating considerable interest in its pathogenesis. Genetic changes at the molecular level in precursor or invasive vulvar tumo rs are not well investigated, and DNA copy number changes have not been rep orted until now. We used comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to analyze genetic alterations in 10 primary invasive squamous cell carcinomas of the vulva Chromosomal aberrations were identified in 8/10 cases. The most freq uent chromosomal losses were 4p13-pter (five cases), 3p (four cases), and 5 q (two cases), and less frequent losses were detected at 6q, 11q, and 13q ( one case each). The most frequent chromosomal gains were 3q (four cases) an d 8p (three cases), and less frequent gains were found in 9p, 14, 17, and 2 0q tone case each). The pattern of chromosomal imbalance in vulvar cancer d etected by CGH was revealed to be very similar to that in cervical cancers, despite regional differences in their prevalence. These results suggest th at the pathogenic pathways in vulvar and cervical carcinomas may be similar and that the genetic background may be common to these two squamous cell c arcinomas.