Application of specific cytologic, cytogenetic and molecular-cytogenetic techniques for the characterization of solid tumors

Schwanitz G, Raff R

Abstract

Investigations of solid tumors have shown that a very specific characterization of aberrant tissues can best be performed using a combination of cytologic, cytogenetic and molecular-cytogenetic methods. Thus, cytological analyses may serve to examine various features of tumors cultivated in vitro, e.g. growth peculiarities, cell morphology, specific details of cell division and mitotic rates, and anomalies of the spindle apparatus. Besides, chromosomal diagnostics characterizing non-specific aberrations focuses on the patho­logical karyotype and its evolution and heterogeneity, as well as on the development of secondary chromosomal aberrations. In the field of mole­cular-cytogenetic diagnostics we emphasize particularly the combination of meta­phase and interphase analyses and the investigation of specific structural aberrations by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). In contrast to the method of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), the spectrum of applications for both methods is discussed. The findings described in this paper were obtained primarily from the analysis of 68 tumors of the urogenital tract (20 kidney tumors, 33 bladder tumors, 15 testis tumors).

Key words: 	tumor cytogenetics, tumor growth in vitro, polykaryotic cells, micronucleus formation, multipolar spindle apparatus, composite karyotype, meta- and interphase-FISH, CGH, cell cycle abnormalities.