Chromosome Studies in Skin Diseases

Part 3. Chromosomal Aberrations in Malignant Lymphomas and Malignant Cutaneous Reticulosis

Abstract

Chromosomal studies were performed on direct tumor and lymph node preparation or peripheral blood culture from 18 patients with malignant lymphomas and malignant reticulosis cutis; 6 cases of reticulum cell sarcoma, 1 of reticuloendotheliosis, 3 of lymphosarcoma, 3 of Hodgkin’s granuloma, 1 of Reticulosarcomatose (Gottron) and reticulosis cutis (Kitamura), 3 of mycosis fungoides. Structural and numerial chromosome abnormalities were found in all 18 cases. A high incidense of chromosomal aberrations, hyperdiploidy or pseudodiploidy with marker chromosomes and tetraploidy, was found in metaphases obtained from direct tumor and lymph node preparation, but the lowest in the peripheral blood culture from the patients with reticulum cell sarcoma. In Hodgkin’s disease many cells of normal karyotype were demonstrable. Pseudodiploidy and hypodiploidy were predominant in the metaphases of lymph node cells from three cases of lymphosarcoma. In mycosis fungoides, the cells obtained from skin tumor and lymph node showed chromosome changes closely resembling those seen in reticulum cell sarcoma, but showed normal karyotype in peripheral blood culture. These findings indicate that chromosomal study may be helpful in diagnosing of the malignant lymphomas and related neoplasms.