HUMAN NEUROBLASTOMAS AND ABNORMALITIES OF CHROMOSOME-1 AND CHROMOSOME-17

Abstract

Structural rearrangements of chromosomes 1p were reported previously as a frequent finding in human neuroblastomas. In a review of karyotypes from 35 neuroblastomas (including 29 published cases and 6 unpublished tumors and cell lines), it was found that, in addition to the abnormalities of chromosome 1p (found in .apprx. 70% of cases), abnormalities involving only 2 other chromosome segments occurred with significant frequency (in 20% or more of cases) in this cancer. These abnormalities involved trisomies for the long arms of chromosomes 1 and 17. In addition, 2 novel cytogenetic aberrations, homogeneously staining regions and double minutes, were identified in 2/3 of the cases. It is postulated that the gene change(s) produced by the abnormalities of chromosome 1p in neuroblastoma play a primary role in the development of this cancer. The gene changes produced by the abnormalities of chromosomes 1q and 17q and by the homogeneously staining regions and double minutes are presumed to contribute to tumor progression.