Comparative genomic hybridization analysis of human sarcomas: I. Occurrence of genomic imbalances and identification of a novel major amplicon at 1q21-q22 in soft tissue sarcomas.

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was recently developed as a tool to survey entire genomes for variations in DNA sequence copy numbers. We have applied this technique to detect and map amplified regions in 54 soft tissue sarcomas. Aberrations were detected by visual analysis of hybridizations or contrast-enhanced digital images, followed by quantitative digital ratio imaging of the aberrant chromosomes. Several tumors showed increased DNA sequence copy number at 12q14, as expected. However, CGH analysis detected amplification of 12q14 also in some tumors where neither MDM2 nor CDK4 was amplified, suggesting that another as yet unknown gene(s) may drive amplification of this region in sarcomas. Furthermore, a novel recurring amplicon was detected at 1q21-q22. DNA amplifications coinciding with this segment were as frequent as those observed for 12q14, indicating that 1q21-q22-linked gene(s) may also play an important role in the development and/or progression of human soft tissue sarcomas.