The Prognostic Significance of Chromosome Abnormalities in Colon Tumors

Abstract

The chromosome complements of 11 primary tumors of the large bowel were determined. In each of the 10 patients with malignant or premalignant lesions chromosome abnormalities were present, but the chromosome complement of a benign adenoma was normal. An acrocentric chromosome, intermediate in size between groups 13-15 and 21-22, was present in at least 3 of the seven malignant tumors and may represent a significant marker chromosome in adenocarcinomas of the colon. Three subgroups with distinctive clinical and cytogenetic features were identified. All of the 4 metastatic adenocarcinomas contained cells with more than 60 chromosomes. In 3 of these a predominant cell line containing more than 60 chromosomes was present. The 3 non-metastatic colon carcinomas showed counts ranging only from 44-49 with predominant cell lines ranging from 46-48. Each of the 3 villous adenomas were characterized both by the absence of marker chromosomes and the lack of a predominant cell line. Adenocarcinomas of the colon whose cells have high chromosome numbers are more likely tometastasize than those with chromosome numbers close to 46.