title: Karyotypic evolution and tumor progression in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
abstract: Cytogenetic analysis was performed on primary tumors, and paired recurrent or metastatic lesions, in 14 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC), in order to identify chromosomal aberrations associated with tumor initiation and progression. Abnormal karyotypes were found in 12 of the 14 patients, with distinctive karyotypic similarities shown in all informative pairs. For individual patients, the degree of karyotypic complexity was similar for the primaries and paired recurrent or metastatic lesions. All 22 samples with clonal chromosomal aberrations displayed complex karyotypes with multiple numerical and unbalanced structural rearrangements, resulting in extensive genomic imbalances. The pathway of clonal evolution could be traced in a few patients, supporting the notion that some aberrations or imbalances, particularly partial or entire loss of 3p, i(8q), and homogeneously staining regions commonly mapping to 11q13, were early genetic events in the initiation of HNSCC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Professional Block, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China.
authors.forename: Yuesheng
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Charlotte
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Mei
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Sai-Wah
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Jingke
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wennerberg
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mertens
authors.forename: Yok-Lam
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Kwong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000235:genetics