Trisomy 5 as the sole chromosomal abnormality in a primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the minor salivary gland.

We describe the cytogenetic findings in a moderately differentiated primary mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the base of the tongue. The only karyotypic abnormality found in the primary culture of this neoplasm was trisomy 5. This finding is remarkably different from previous cytogenetic studies of mucoepidermoid carcinomas, which have shown heterogeneous and unrelated chromosomal aberrations. Our results suggest that trisomy 5 may be an early aberration in the development of this neoplasm.