Numerical aberrations of chromosomes 1 and 17 in tumor cell lines of the exocrine pancreas as determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization.

The relationship between the copy numbers of chromosomes 1 and 17 and characteristics related to aggressiveness, histological grade, and doubling time was studied in 10 cell lines from pancreatic carcinomas (7 from primary tumors, 2 from ascites, and 1 from a liver metastasis). Fluorescence in situ hybridization with, respectively, the (peri-)centromeric pUC 1.77 (chromosome 1), and D17Z1 (chromosome 17) probes was applied to interphase nuclei.