[Quantitative changes in the karyotype during hyperplastic processes in cancer of the endometrium]

Cytogenetic examination of scrapings obtained from 42 patients with uterine bleeding was performed. A decrease in diploid cell level matched by a rise in that of aneuploid and aberrant cells was seen both in carcinoma and adenomatous hyperplasia of the uterine mucosa. A correlation was established between the level of aneuploid and aberrant cells, on the one hand, and degree of endometrial hyperplasia, on the other. Changes in karyotype in hyperplastic lesions of the endometrium are thought to be a factor predisposing to cancer development.