High frequency of telomeric associations and chromatid exchanges and breaks in human ovarian carcinoma

Cytogenetic analysis of an unselected series of twenty human serous adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated carcinomas of the ovary revealed the presence of telomeric associations (tas) and unstable chromosomal aberrations, including chromatid-type exchanges (cte) and breaks (ctb) in high proportion of tumors studied. Tas and cte & ctb were present in 75% and 55% of tumors, respectively. Involvement of different chromosome telomeres in tas seemed to be random. This is the first report describing telomeric associations in ovarian cancer. Our findings suggest that the frequency of extensive spontaneous chromosome breakage in ovarian carcinoma may be higher than that reported in the literature.