Clustering of aberrations to specific chromosomes in human neoplasms

Abstract

The present survey comprises 856 cases of human neoplasms in which 1 or more chromosome aberrations have been identified by banding techniques. Of these, 704 cases had been published by the end of 1977, and 152 cases have not yet been published. The material is divided into 15 groups of malignant or premalignant disorders belonging to myeloproliferative disorders, lymphoproliferative disorders and solid tumors with 571, 160 and 125 cases, respectively. Most of the material (774 cases) is presented in tables, in which the chromosomes involved in aberrations are listed separately for each country. The main conclusion of the survey is that the different chromosome types are involved in aberrations to a strikingly different extent. The selective involvement, combined from all groups of diseases, clusters to 12 of the 24 human chromosome types, and 8 chromosome types are involved in 3–9 diseases each. There are suggestive indications that geographic differences in chromosome aberrations may exist. Agent dependence and tissue specificity of chromosome aberrations in neoplastic cells are discussed tentatively, and a working hypothesis is outlined concerning the possible role of chromosomal aberrations in oncogenesis.