Cytogenetic and cell cycle studies in metastatic cells from ovarian carcinomas

Metastatic cells in 34 malignant effusions from 24 women with carcinoma of the ovary were analysed for numerical and structural chromosome aberrations, presence of cytogenetic equivalents of gene amplification, and characteristics of their interphase cell cycles. Besides striking deviations in chromosome number and the presence of conspicuous clonal and non-clonal marker chromosomes, the prevalence of double minutes (DM) in 22 of the 34 effusions (in 19 of the 24 patients) was notable. The pattern of G1, S, and G2 phase distribution evaluated, following induction of premature chromosome condensation (PCC), varied significantly from patient to patient, depending apparently on factors such as: duration of cell culture, therapy, peculiarities and time elapsed from the diagnosis of the malignancy. The introduction of the PCC-technique has commendably extended the possibilities of cytogenetic studies in human tumor cells.