Cytogenetic analysis of short-term cultured squamous cell carcinomas of the lung.

Cytogenetic analysis of 122 primary squamous cell carcinomas of the lung revealed clonal abnormalities in 56 tumors. Karyotypes with simple numerical changes were found in 32 tumors: 45,X,-Y in 28, 47,XY,+7/45,X-Y, in two, 47,XY,+Y/45,X,-Y and 47,XY,+20/45,X,-Y in one tumor each. A super-numerary ring chromosome was the sole anomaly in two tumors. Complex structural changes were found in 22 tumors. The chromosomes most frequently involved in structural rearrangements were chromosomes 1 (15 tumors), 3, 7, and 11 (10 tumors each), 5 and 6 (nine tumors each), and 2, 8, and 12 (eight tumors each). The bands and regions most often affected were 1p11-13 and 5cen (six tumors each), 11p11, 14p11-13, 15cen, and 17p11-12 (five tumors each), and 12p13 and 13cen (four tumors each). The only recurrent changes were the whole-arm rearrangements i(5)(p10) (five tumors) and i(6)(p10), der(9;15)(q10;q10), and der(13;15)(q10;q10) (two tumors each). The most prominent genomic imbalances were, apart from losses of the Y chromosome, losses from 1p, 3p, 5q, 6q, 8p, 13p, and 14p and gains from 1q and 5p.