Scanning all chromosomal abnormalities with microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization in differential...

Despite conventional histopathological and immunohistochemical methods, difficulties may be experienced in the differential diagnosis of pediatric cancers, especially in small round-cell undifferentiated tumors. In these cases, the determination of chromosomal abnormalities may be helpful. The aim of this study was to evaluate the place of the whole genome array comparative genomic hybridization method in pediatric cancers where difficulty is experienced in differential diagnosis.

In Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH), 135,000 probes were scanned as 3 probes per gene in all genomes. It was possible to analyze paraffin block tissues obtained from the archive of the Pathology Laboratory of Dr. Behcet Uz Children's Hospital. DNA extraction was made from the paraffin blocks of 24 cases where difficulty had been experienced in making the differential diagnosis and in each case, comparisons with the control samples were made for all anomalies in all chromosomes using microarray technology.

Together with the typically observed chromosomal anomalies, additional derangements with debatable importance were determined.

The whole genome CGH method may be useful in pediatric cancers where difficulties are experienced in making differential diagnoses. Since technical difficulties are experienced in the examination of paraffin-embedded tissue samples, storing fresh tissue samples from each tumor will be helpful for genetic and molecular examinations.