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Clonality of combined tumors
Jiaoti Huang1, Carmen Behrens, Ignacio I Wistuba
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
|March 20, 2002
Summary
Most combined tumors share identical genetic alterations, suggesting a single cell origin. However, a minority of tumors show different genetic changes, indicating distinct precursor cells for each component.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cancer Genetics
- Tumorigenesis
Background:
- Combined tumors exhibit mixed morphologic patterns, raising questions about their molecular pathogenesis.
- Understanding the relationship between different tumor components is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether distinct components of combined tumors harbor similar or different genetic alterations.
- To establish the clonality and cellular origin of different tumor components.
Main Methods:
- Microdissection of tumor cells from morphologically distinct areas of six combined tumors.
- Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analysis was performed on dissected cells to detect genetic alterations.
Main Results:
- Five out of six combined tumors displayed identical genetic alterations across their different morphologic areas.
- One case showed distinct genetic alterations in its separate components.
- Identical genetic profiles were observed in complex cases, including colorectal tumors with adenoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma, and lung tumors with squamous and small cell carcinoma.
Conclusions:
- The majority of combined tumors likely originate from a single precursor cell, evidenced by shared genetic profiles.
- A subset of combined tumors may arise from multiple distinct precursor cells, as indicated by differing genetic alterations.