Cytogenetic analysis of colorectal adenomas: karyotypic comparisons of synchronous tumors

The phenotypic progression of colorectal tumors is driven by their step-by-step acquisition of genomic alterations. These pathogenetically important mutations are at the same time markers of tumor clonality. The aim of this study was to describe the clonal relation among synchronous colorectal adenomas. Twenty-four colorectal adenomas from 11 patients were subjected to chromosome banding analysis. Clonal chromosome abnormalities were found in 20 tumors. Recurrent structural rearrangements involved chromosomes 1, 13, 17, and 18. The most common numerical changes were gain of chromosomes 7, 13, 20, and 3 and loss of chromosome 18. Eight adenomas had subclones as evidence of clonal evolution. Similar clones in separate polyps were seen in tumors from 6 patients; these adenomas were always located in the same part of the large bowel. In 2 patients, both with one rectal adenoma and one adenoma in the colon, no karyotypic similarity between the lesions was found. Our findings indicate that whereas close, but macroscopically distinct, synchronous colorectal adenomas usually have a common pathway of progression, perhaps even the same clonal origin, large bowel adenomas at a considerable distance from one another exhibit karyotypic differences, indicating that they arise independently.