Sex chromosome composition of complete hydatidiform moles: relationship to metastasis.
OBJECTIVE
Complete hydatidiform moles have a substantial risk for subsequent development of persistent or metastatic gestational trophoblastic tumor. We evaluated the hypothesis that presence of a Y chromosome in a complete hydatidiform mole confers an increased risk for developing metastatic gestational trophoblastic tumor.


METHODS
The polymerase chain reaction was applied to archival paraffin-embedded molar-tissue to identify Y chromosome-positive dispermic moles in patients who did or did not develop metastatic disease. To reduce the chances of analytic error, consensus polymerase chain reaction primers directed at homologous but different genes present on both X and Y chromosomes were used.


RESULTS
Y-chromosome sequences were identified in 7.7% (1/13) of the metastatic group and 9.1% (2/22) of the nonmetastatic group, a statistically insignificant difference.


CONCLUSIONS
We are unable to confirm any increased risk for metastasis in Y chromosome-positive compared with Y chromosome-negative complete hydatidiform mole.
Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
G L
GL
Mutter
R J
RJ
Pomponio
R S
RS
Berkowitz
D R
DR
Genest
D001483:Base Sequence; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006828:Hydatidiform Mole / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000556:secondary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011247:Pregnancy; D012307:Risk Factors; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D014998:Y Chromosome
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm