title: [Phenotype--genotype--correlation in ovarian neoplasia].
abstract: Ovarian neoplasms display a wide range of phenotypic differentiation patterns. In the recent past, molecular genetic aberrations have been increasingly identified in various types of ovarian tumors. Granulosa cell tumors most often contain numeric chromosomal aberrations (monosomy 22, trisomy 12 and 14). Numeric changes can also be found in benign and borderline epithelial neoplasms, however without demonstrating specific patterns. K-ras mutations are characteristic for mucinous ovarian tumors and for serous borderline (LMP) tumors. In serous LMP tumors they are associated with low level microsatellite instability. Complex chromosomal aberrations are not detected in benign and borderline tumors. Invasive ovarian carcinomas show complex genetic changes. Chromosomal gains at 3q26, 8q24 and 20q13 apparently represent early lesions, whereas loss of material of chromosomes 4, 13, 16, 18 and X is associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis. The main targets of chromosomal changes are regulatory genes of cell proliferation and apoptosis (e.g. p16, cyclin D1, Rb, p53, myc, bcl-2) and members of the signaling cascade of tyrosine kinase receptors (e.g. Her-2/neu, dab-2, K-ras, PI3-K, PTEN). The genetic alterations of ovarian neoplasms described so far apparently correlate with the different level of aggressiveness. However, they do not fully explain the spectrum of phenotypic variability of these tumors.
authors.affiliation: Pathologisches Institut der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Diebold
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D002455:Cell Division; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D010641:Phenotype