[Significance and prospects of study on molecular alterations in oligodendrogliomas]

Oligodendroglial tumours represent a type of tumours in which molecular alterations may become a significant prognostic factor. During the last decade, enormous progress in understanding of these alterations has been accomplished. Oligodendrogliomas show distinct genetic alterations, allowing us to distinguish them from other types of gliomas. The loss of heterozygosity (LOH) on chromosomes 1p and 19q were reported to be the most frequently observed alterations. While loss of heterozygosity on chromosome 1p is a statistically significant predictor of chemosensitivity, combination with deletions on chromosome 19q was reported to be associated with both chemosensitivity and longer recurrence-free survival after therapy. Conversely, allelic loss on chromosome 10q, observed in many anaplastic oligodendrogliomas, predicts rather poor outcome. The present paper is a compilation of the newest information on the characteristics of the genetic alterations related to the clinical course of oligodendrogliomas, which seems to be important for the proper diagnostics and selection of the appropriate methods of treatment.