Men with colorectal cancer are predisposed to prostate cancer.

Background: The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between colorectal and prostate cancer.

Methods: All Victorian men who developed metachronous colorectal and prostate cancer with the first primary diagnosed between 1982 and 1993 were identified retrospectively from the Victorian Cancer Registry and were followed up to the end of 1995. Analyses were stratified by age group and years of follow up.

Patterns of failure with increasing intensification of induction chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukaemia.

Patterns of failure were studied in two consecutive randomized trials of intensified induction therapy carried out by the Australian Leukaemia Study Group (ALSG) between 1984 and 1991 to determine the impact of dose intensification. Patients received standard dose cytarabine and daunorubicin (7-3), 7-3 plus etoposide (7-3-7) or 7-3 plus high-dose cytarabine (HIDAC-3-7) chemotherapy. Patients with FAB M3 morphology were excluded.

Long-term survival of patients with acute myeloid leukemia: a third follow-up of the Fourth International Workshop on Chromosomes in Leukemia.

Background: In 1982, the Fourth International Workshop on Chromosomes in Leukemia reviewed data prospectively collected on 716 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) diagnosed between 1980 and 1982. The present study examined the extended follow-up on these patients.

Methods: The analyses included cytogenetic and clinical data, with a median follow-up of 14.

Prognostic value of cytogenetic abnormalities in previously untreated patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

In this study cytogenetic findings have been correlated with prognosis in 78 previously untreated patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) presenting between 1983 and 1988. The median follow-up was 7 years (range 2-9 years). There was no significant difference in the duration of survival of 33 patients with only abnormal karyotypes, 35 patients with a mixture of normal and abnormal karyotypes (AN) and 10 patients with only normal karyotypes (NN).

A randomized study of high-dose cytarabine in induction in acute myeloid leukemia.

High-dose cytarabine (ara-c) may overcome cytarabine resistance in leukemic blasts. It has been used as a successful salvage and in postremission therapy but not as initial induction treatment. Patients aged 15 to 60 years, presenting with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) were randomized to receive either high-dose cytarabine, 3 g/m2 12 hourly on days 1, 3, 5, and 7 for 8 doses, daunorubicin 50 mg/m2 days 1 to 3, etoposide 75 mg/m2 days 1 to 7, (HIDAC-3-7) or standard dose cytarabine 100 mg/m2 continuous intravenous infusion for 7 days with daunorubicin and etoposide at the same dose and schedule as above (7-3-7).

Application of interphase cytogenetics to monitor bone marrow transplants.

Chromosomal in situ hybridization (ISH) has extended the scope of cytogenetic analysis to nondividing cells by the use of chromosome-specific probes detected by nonisotopic techniques. This provides a rapid and sensitive method for identifying chromosomes in interphase cells, and is useful in gauging engraftment following bone marrow transplantation, particularly when the number of cells obtained is minimal. We have performed ISH using a Y-heterochromatin-specific probe to monitor patients with malignant hematological disease who have received a sex-mismatched transplant.

New translocation t(2;13)(p12;q34) and rearrangement of the MLL gene in a childhood leukemia cell line.

Here we report the case of a 7-month-old boy who presented with biphenotypic acute leukemia, but with leukemia cells of B-cell phenotype present at the time of relapse. Two cell lines were derived from bone marrow specimens obtained at relapse, and immunophenotyping and analysis of antigen receptor gene configuration revealed concordance between the patient's leukemic cells and the cell lines. Cell line PER-377 shows a new chromosomal abnormality, t(2;13)(p12;q34), a molecular rearrangement at chromosome band 11q23 in the absence of a cytogenetically detectable abnormality of this band, and deletion of the genes for IGK.

Association of abnormalities of chromosome 11 with t(14;18) in diffuse non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Cytogenetic studies of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) have revealed a nonrandom translocation, t(14;18)(q32;q21), to be strongly correlated with follicular histology. In our recent study of 149 cases of NHL, 68 cases had a t(14;18). Forty-four of these were follicular and 24 diffuse.

Characterization of homogeneously staining regions in a small cell lung cancer cell line, using in situ hybridization with an MYCN probe.

The cell line CIPL38 was derived from the pleural effusion of a patient with small cell lung cancer. The karyotype was hyperdiploid and complex with a variable number of marker chromosomes. Two of the markers had large homogeneously staining regions (hsr), which were shown to consist of amplified MYCN by in situ hybridization.

Two cases of de novo precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t(14;18), but without cytogenetic evidence of an associated Burkitt's or Burkitt's variant translocation.

This study reports two cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia of precursor B-cell type. The cases were associated with a t(14;18), but no evidence of a Burkitt's-type translocation was found. There was also no evidence of a preexisting follicular lymphoma.

Long-term survival in acute myelogenous leukemia: a second follow-up of the Fourth International Workshop on Chromosomes in Leukemia.

Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML, equivalent to acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia [ANLL]) who were studied at the Fourth and Sixth International Workshops on Chromosomes in Leukemia and who have long survival have been re-assessed to identify factors which may be associated with good prognosis in AML. In a long-term survivor (LTS) group, there were more cases than expected in each age decade below 50, more cases than expected with FAB type M3, and fewer cases than expected of secondary leukemia. Of the distribution of chromosome abnormalities, t(15;17), t(8;21), and inv/del(16) were over-represented, and -5, -7, and rearrangements of 11q were under-represented.

The prognostic significance of deletion of the long arm of chromosome 20 in myeloid disorders.

A review of patients with myeloid disorders presenting to a large cytogenetic referral centre over a ten year period was undertaken to assess the clinical relevance of the presence of del(20q) in their malignant karyotypes. Twenty-six patients were identified, four with myeloproliferative disorders (MPD), 15 with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and seven with acute leukemia. The presence of del(20q) in four patients with MPD did not appear to adversely affect survival, with all patients alive 18 to 184 months post diagnosis.

Chromosome abnormalities in non-small cell lung cancer pleural effusions: cytogenetic indicators of disease subgroups.

A cytogenetic study of pleural effusions (PE) containing metastatic or invasive tumor cells from 11 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (3 squamous cell carcinomas [SQC] and 8 adenocarcinomas [ADC] including 1 giant cell variant) was performed to identify non-random chromosome abnormalities. Numerical abnormalities seen in > or = 30% of cases included gain of chromosomes 7 and 20, and loss of chromosomes 4, 9, 10, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, and 22. The most frequent structural abnormality involved rearrangement in 1p with breakpoints clustering at 1p10-p13.

Y chromosome loss and rearrangement in non-small-cell lung cancer.

While loss of the Y chromosome from the karyotype of tumor cells has frequently been found in a number of human malignancies of different types, structural alterations are a much less common finding. Prompted by the high frequency of cytogenetic Y chromosome loss found in primary non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and the fact that NSCLC karyotypes usually contain marker chromosomes of unidentified origin, we have determined the Y chromosome status of 12 NSCLC samples (7 cell lines and 5 primary tumors) at a molecular level. Of the 9 cases which did not have a cytogenetically detectable Y chromosome, 4 were negative for all the Y sequences tested.

Co-amplification of the gene for parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHRP) and KRAS2 in a human lung cancer cell line.

Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHRP) is expressed in a large number of tumors and is the mediator of parathyroid hormone-like effects seen in humoral hypercalcemia of malignancy. The gene coding for PTHRP has been localised to the short arm of chromosome 12. This is at the same region as the oncogene KRAS2, and amplification of KRAS2 has previously been found in human lung cancer.

Molecular deletion of 9p sequences in non-small cell lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma.

Previously we have reported non-random cytogenetic abnormalities involving the short arm of chromosome 9 (9P) in the majority of primary non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patient samples, which indicated loss of DNA sequences. In another lung tumor, pleural malignant mesothelioma (MM), cytogenetic changes also include apparent deletions of 9p. To define the location and extent of deletions of 9p in NSCLC and MM, Southern blot analyses on six NSCLC and five MM cell lines using molecular probes to 9p loci (IFNA, IFNB1, D9S3, and D9S19) were performed, and DNA dosage was determined by densitometry.

A simple G-banding technique following nonradioactive in situ hybridization.

A simple G-banding protocol has been found to be compatible with a nonisotopic in situ hybridization technique utilizing a biotin-streptavidin-polyalkaline phosphatase complex. The chromosomes are banded following detection of the hybridization signal, the procedure requires no pretreatment of cultures or special optical equipment, and it produces permanent preparations.

Rearrangement of chromosome 1p in breast cancer correlates with poor prognostic features.

In a cytogenetic study of breast cancer biopsies, clonal abnormalities of chromosome 1p were identified in 56% (14) of 25 informative patients. Translocations predominated, involving 1p22 (n = 1), 1p35 (n = 1) or 1p36 (n = 10) breakpoints. Chromosome 1p abnormalities were associated with estrogen receptor (ER) negativity (P = 0.

Detection of MYCN amplification in three neuroblastoma cell lines by non-radioactive chromosomal in situ hybridization.

A non-radioactive chromosomal in situ hybridization technique utilizing a biotin-streptavidin-polyalkaline-phosphatase complex was successfully applied to three neuroblastoma cell lines for detection of MYCN amplification. These cell lines, designated PER-106, PER-107, and PER-108, were derived from consecutive bone marrow samples taken from a patient with stage IV neuroblastoma. The cell line derived at diagnosis (PER-106) exhibited MYCN amplification in the form of variable numbers of double-minute chromosomes, small fragments, and rings of varying sizes.

Two malignant peripheral primitive neuroepithelial tumor cell lines established from consecutive samples of one patient: characterization and cytogenetic analysis.

A 6-year-old girl presented with a tumor of the right shoulder involving bone, adjacent soft tissue, and regional lymph nodes. The conventional histologic diagnosis was ambiguous, initially suggesting lymphoma. After relapse on lymphoma therapy, reevaluation with additional multiple diagnostic techniques performed on the biopsy tissue and on two cell lines derived from the biopsies established the diagnosis of a primitive neuroepithelial tumor of bone and soft tissue.

Chromosomal localization of amplified N-myc in neuroblastoma cells using a biotinylated probe.

G-banded chromosome analysis of neuroblastoma cells from two children revealed homogeneously staining regions (hsr) in one patient and double minutes (dmin) in the other. Subsequently, both abnormalities were confirmed as areas of N-myc amplification using chromosomal in situ hybridization with a biotinylated N-myc probe. In addition, the first patient's karyotype contained a possible derivative chromosome 17, which was also demonstrated to contain amplified N-myc, indicating the presence of an hsr unidentified by G-banding.

Novel translocation (2;4) with consistent involvement of 2p23 in acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (M2).

A translocation involving the short arm of chromosome 2 and the long arm of chromosome 4 is described in three patients, all of whom had acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (M2). One patient had M2 de novo, one progressed from refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation to M2 over a 4-month period, and one had had sideroblastic anemia 30 years prior to development of M2. In all three patients, the translocation involved the breakpoint p23 on chromosome 2, but the breakpoints on chromosome 4 varied between q25, q31, and q35.

Regional localization of the gene for clusterin (SP-40,40; gene symbol CLI) to human chromosome 8p12-->p21.

The human clusterin (SP-40,40) gene, designated CLI (complement lysis inhibitor) by the Human Gene Nomenclature Committee, has previously been assigned to chromosome 8. In situ hybridization allowed us to map the locus at 8p12-->p21.

Treatment of acute promyelocytic leukaemia relapsing after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation with all-trans-retinoic acid: suppression of the leukaemic clone.

We describe the clinical experience of a male patient with acute promyelocytic leukaemia, relapsing after sex-mismatched allogeneic bone marrow transplantation and treated with all-trans-retinoic acid. Resolution of the coagulopathy was observed by day 7 of therapy. A complete remission was achieved by day 47 after a period of pancytopenia, dysplastic myeloid maturation and bone marrow hypocellularity with necrosis and fibrosis.