Cytogenetic analysis of 46 pleomorphic soft tissue sarcomas and correlation with morphologic and clinical features: A report of the CHAMP study group

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Abstract
With the aim of identifying objective cytogenetic-morphologic correlations, we evaluated 46 pleomorphic soft tissue sarcomas (mainly diagnosed originally as malignant fibrous histiocytomas) with clonal chromosome aberrations both cytogenetically and morphologically as part of an international collaborative study. By detailed histopathologic examination, most cases could be categorized into specific tumor types. Eight sarcomas were diagnosed as lipogenic (4 pleomorphic, 1 combined pleomorphic and myxoid/round cell, and 3 dedifferentiated liposarcomas), 19 as myogenic [11 leiomyosarcomas, 1 rhabdomyosarcoma, 4 myosarcomas not otherwise specified (NOS), and 3 probable myosarcomas NOS], 8 as myxofibrosarcomas, 1 as a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor, 1 as malignant mesenchymoma, 1 as extraskeletal osteosarcoma, 1 as sarcoma resembling proliferative fasciitis, and 7 as pleomorphic sarcomas NOS. In a three-grade system, 10 tumors were grade 2 and 36 were grade 3. The majority had highly complex karyotypes. A total of 24 recurrent abnormalities (defined by their presence in at least five cases) were detected: ring chromosomes, homogeneously staining regions (hsr) and/or double minute chromosomes (dmin), and structural rearrangement of 22 different chromosome bands or regions. The frequency and distribution of the recurrent karyotypic features were uneven. Grade 3 tumors displayed, on average, more aberrations per case than did grade 2 tumors. Nine of the selected abnormalities, including hsr/dmin and rearrangements of 19p13 and 19q13, were found only among the high-grade tumors. When the tumors were subdivided according to lineage of differentiation, the highest frequency of aberrations was seen in pleomorphic sarcomas NOS, followed by myxofibrosarcomas, myogenic sarcomas, and lipogenic sarcomas. None of the selected rearrangements was, however, specific for any of these subgroups. The sole consistent cytogenetic-morphologic association was that all three dedifferentiated liposarcomas had multiple abnormal clones, at least one of which contained supernumerary ring chromosomes. Due mainly to karyotype complexity, it therefore seems unlikely that cytogenetic analysis can assist in the differential diagnostic subclassification of pleomorphic sarcomas, nor was there any clear-cut indication that the karyotypic picture could be used to predict clinical outcome. Although the mean number of recurrent chromosome aberrations was almost twice as high in sarcomas that gave rise to metastases as among those that did not, no particular aberration was restricted to either of the two subgroups. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 22:16–25, 1998.