Toward clinical microcytogenetics: the aniridia and the retinoblastoma stories.

In conclusion, the aniridia and the retinoblastoma stories tell us the importance of applying high-resolution cytogenetic techniques and of measuring catalase and esterase D activities when screening and investigating patients and their families. They also point to exceptional situations in carcinogenesis, and without doubt the newly devised genetic techniques, such as recombinant DNA, will allow, when applied to these conditions, a far better understanding of carcinogenesis at the molecular level--which is the important one.