Nonrandom chromosomal changes in human solid tumors: application of an improved culture method.

A cytogenetic study was performed on 48 primary human benign, borderline malignant, and malignant solid tumors from more than 10 different tissues. An improved cell culture method using an extracellular matrix substrate and a polyvalent serum-free medium was applied, which ensured a success rate of about 68%. The results disclosed a nonrandom involvement of chromosomes 1, 3, and 7 (especially duplication of chromosome 7) in numerical changes and a clustering of breakpoints on chromosomes 1, 3, 7, and 11. These data indicate that some chromosomal changes are shared by various types of tumors, suggesting some common genetic clonal evolution pathways.