Two chromosomally different cell populations in a human neoplasm

DNA flow cytometric studies of 66 human lung tumors analyzed before treatment. Prognostic implications

To investigate the prognostic implications of DNA flow cytometry in human lung tumors, we analyzed specimens from patients with neoplastic and non-neoplastic lung disease. Most non-neoplastic and normal (taken at the resection border) lung samples yielded a single cell population with diploid DNA content (only two normal lung specimens from two cancer patients had aneuploid DNA content). At least one aneuploid cell subpopulation was seen in 91 percent of NSCLC and 50 percent on SCLC. To show intratumor heterogeneity, multiple-site sampling was done whenever possible in both primary tumor and metastatic sites, revealing a high incidence of multiclonality (50 percent). Although diploid tumors were rare, they associated with a higher survival rate than aneuploid monoclonal and multiclonal tumors with hypoploid and/or hypertetraploid clones, which had the lowest survival. Cellular DNA content analysis in patients with lung tumors may be useful in prognostic evaluation.

Proximal 3p deletion in renal cell carcinoma cells from a patient with von Hippel-Lindau disease

A case of proximal 3p deletion is reported in tumor cells from a patient with renal cell carcinoma and von Hippel-Lindau disease. This is the first report of this deletion with renal cell carcinoma. With the previously detected translocations at the same breakpoint, this report confirms the 3p14 breakpoint as critical in this neoplasm. This strongly suggests that renal cell carcinoma results from a change in the genetic material in the proximal short arm of chromosome #3.

Cytogenetics of a renal adenocarcinoma in a 2-year-old child

Chromosomal abnormalities in a 2.4-year-old boy with renal adenocarcinoma (Grawitz tumor) are described. Renal adenocarcinoma is extremely rare in childhood, compared with nephroblastoma (Wilms' tumor). In all tumor cells the same 46,XY,t(X;1) (p11.2;q21.2) karyotype was found. This karyotype is compared with the cytogenetic descriptions of renal adenocarcinoma in adults.

G-banded karyotype of a primary renal-cell carcinoma

Cytogenetic findings of a primary renal-cell carcinoma are reported. The chromosome number was near triploid and there was tetrasomy for the long arm of chromosomes #1 and #3. The following structural chromosomal abnormalities were identified by the G-banding technique: i(1q), t(3;17), 6q-, 7p+, and a ring chromosome of unknown origin. Chromosomes #1, #3, #6, #7, and #17 involved in this case are often implicated in malignancy.

Cytometrically determined relative DNA content as an indicator of neoplasia in gastric lesions

Cellular samples from human gastric endoscopic biopsies were analysed in order to detect possible DNA content alterations as markers of cancerous and precancerous lesions of the digestive tract. Samples were derived from the stomach of normal donors (17 cases), and from patients clinically classified as affected by stomach adenocarcinoma (18 cases), chronic atrophic gastritis (20 cases), or other nonneoplastic lesions (17 cases). Sample processing was performed by mechanical and enzymatic treatment to obtain monodispersed cells. Staining for flow cytometric analysis was achieved with ethidium bromide and mithramycin. Samples from normal donors constantly exhibited a single cell population with diploid DNA content. All but three neoplastic specimens exhibited both a diploid and an aneuploid cell subpopulation, with the DNA index of the aneuploid peak ranging from 1.10 to 1.85 (except a single instance with a value of 3.13). The presence of a recognizable aneuploid subpopulation was also observed in 9 out of 20 chronic atrophic gastritis specimens. Such aneuploidy is similar to that observed for the adenocarcinoma, even if the fraction of aneuploid cells appears to be generally higher in the tumor than in the gastritis cases. All other cases of gastritis and of nonneoplastic disease exhibited diploid cells only. The meaning of aneuploidy in some gastritis specimens is a phenomenon not yet fully explained. Still, aneuploidy appears to be a useful marker for recognizing the presence of suspect malignant cells in gastric lesions.

Growth patterns, ultrastructure, and chromosomal constitution of normal kidney and nephroblastoma cells in short-term culture

Nephrectomies were performed on four children with nephroblastomas (Wilms' tumor). Tumor tissue and normal kidney tissue were taken from each patient and were cultured. The in vitro characteristics of the cultured cells were then compared with their known in vivo characteristics. The normal kidney cells showed uniform cell morphology, had a relatively slow and orderly growth pattern and had the usual diploid chromosomal constitution. The tumor cells on the other hand were irregular in morphology and had a rapid and disorderly growth pattern. Electron microscopic examination confirmed the variation in the tumor cell morphology. In addition, microfilaments were seen to be abnormally abundant in many of the cells and some cells contained membrane-bound granules. Desmosomes were absent. Chromosome analyses showed cells from three of the nephroblastoma samples to maintain a constant hyperdiploid karyotype during the first few passages in vitro, whereas the normal kidney cells continued to have the normal diploid karyotype. Our study suggests that nephroblastoma and normal kidney cells are stable in culture, that is they retain most of their cellular characteristics in vitro and do not undergo rapid dedifferentitation in short-term culture.

Two abnormal clones in the bone marrow cells of a patient with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is considered to be a clonal disorder, although most investigations have failed to show chromosomal abnormalities. The present patient suffered from PNH and exhibited in bone marrow cells two abnormal clones with 47 chromosomes in addition to cells with 46 chromosomes. One clone showed trisomy 9, a finding previously reported in leukemias and myeloproliferative disorders. Thus, PNH seems to be a clonal myeloproliferative disease.

Longitudinal studies of chromosomal abnormalities and reticulum cell proliferation in New Zealand Black mice

A longitudinal study of 40 New Zealand Black (NZB) mice and 20 BALB/c control animals was performed. A significant association was observed between the presence of acquired spleen-cell aneuploidy at some time during life and development of histological evidence of reticulum-cell neoplasia in individual animals. This finding is compatible with the hypothesis that aneuploid clones which arise in the spleens of aging NZBs are at least potentially neoplastic. However, no relationship between histologically neoplastic reticulum cell proliferation and aneuploidy was apparent in single splenic specimens obtained from NZB mice of various ages. This lack of association indicates that failure to detect chromosomal abnormalities on direct study of cells from a tumor cannot be taken as evidence that the neoplastic cells themselves lack such abnormalities.