Genetic heterogeneity in supratentorial and infratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumours of the central nervous system.
OBJECTIVE
Medulloblastoma (MB), a kind of infratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumour (PNET), is the most frequent malignant brain tumour in childhood. In contrast, supratentorial PNET (sPNET) are very infrequent tumours, but they are histologically similar to MB, although they present a worse clinical outcome. We investigated the differences in genetic abnormalities between sPNET and MB.


RESULTS
We analysed 20 central PNET (14 MB and six sPNET) by conventional comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) in order to determine whether a different genetic profile for each tumour exists. Isochromosome 17q was detected in four of the 14 MB cases, but not in any sPNET. Gains at 17q and 7 happened more frequently in MB, and those at 1q in sPNET. Losses at chromosome 10 were detected only in MB, while losses at 16p and 19p happened more frequently in sPNET. A new amplification site, on 4q12, was detected in two MB.


CONCLUSIONS
Central PNET are a heterogeneous group of tumours from the genetic point of view. The present and previous data, together with further results from larger series, might contribute to the establishment of specific treatments for supratentorial and infratentorial PNET.
Inda
M M
MM
Laboratoire de Génomique Cellulaire des Cancers, UMR1599, CNRS, Institut Gustave-Roussy, Villejuif, France.
Perot
C
C
Guillaud-Bataille
M
M
Danglot
G
G
Rey
J A
JA
Bello
M J
MJ
Fan
X
X
Eberhart
C
C
Zazpe
I
I
Portillo
E
E
Tuñón
T
T
Martínez-Peñuela
J M
JM
Bernheim
A
A
Castresana
J S
JS
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1; D002879:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 10; D002885:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17; D002888:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19; D002894:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4; D002897:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7; D018740:Genetic Heterogeneity; D006801:Humans; D015192:Infratentorial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015173:Supratentorial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology