In vitro evidence for genetic predisposition in some human pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

A numerical alteration in chromosome complement in human dermal fibroblast cultures, hyperdiploidy with a normal occurrence of tetraploidy (IVH) has been reported to be associated with some hereditary single tumors, including pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PaCa). The incidence of IVH was compared in cultures derived from 34 PaCa patients and 39 clinically normal subjects without a family tumor history by three assay systems: (a) percentage of numerically altered metaphases in chromosome preparations (MA); (b) percentage of cells from high-density, stationary cultures with a DNA index (DI) greater than 1 (FCMs); (c) percentage of cells with a DI greater than 2 from cultures of cells undergoing division (FCMd). The last two measurements were obtained by flow cytometric measurement of propidium idodide (PI) stained cells. Concordance was observed between the three assays. There was a linear relationship between the percentage of hyperdiploid metaphases assayed in the chromosome preparation and the percentage of cells with a DI greater than 1 by FCMs and a DI greater than 2 by FCMd. IVH was considered to be present (IVH+) by the MA technique if the percentage of numerically altered metaphases was over 4% exclusive of tetraploids, by the FCMs technique if DI greater than 1 was greater than 10%, and by FCMd if DI greater than 2 was greater than 7%. The assayed group could be divided into two IVH groups on the basis of all three assays, individually or collectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)