Cytogenetic analysis in renal cell carcinoma: correlation with tumor aggressiveness.

Twenty-eight tissue specimens from 26 patients with renal cell carcinoma were subjected to cytogenetic analysis using a newly developed combined method of enzymatic technique and short term tissue culture. Of the 28 tumor samples studied, 21 were chromosomally abnormal. Four (including two oncocytomas) were normal, and three did not grow in tissue culture. Of the 21 tumors with abnormal chromosomes, the most frequent abnormality was either trisomy or tetrasomy of chromosome 7 (18 of 21 tumors). In four of these tumors, trisomy 7 was the only visible abnormality. Ten tumors contained abnormalities of chromosome 3. Three showed a previously reported chromosome 3 interstitial deletion, five were hyperdiploid, and two revealed a monosomy 3. Of these 10 patients, six have had disease progression, compared to one of the 16 remaining patients without an abnormal chromosome 3. These data suggest that abnormalities of chromosome 7 represent a primary abnormality, and that when these abnormalities are present in association with abnormalities involving chromosome 3, they may correlate with a more aggressive clinical course and a corresponding higher stage of disease at diagnosis.