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Histologically Benign or Low-Grade Malignant Tumors Adjacent to High-Grade Ovarian Carcinomas Contain Molecular Characteristics of High-Grade Carcinomas¹

Departments of Pathology [J. Z., M. W., M. V., L. D.], Gynecologic Oncology [S. Z.], and Preventive Medicine [M. C. Y.], Kenneth Norris Jr. Comprehensive Cancer Center, USC School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California 90033

It is presently not clear if ovarian carcinomas arise de novo or from benign precursors (cystadenomas) and if high-grade malignant tumors (carcinomas) develop from preexisting low-grade carcinomas. The presence of allelic losses on chromosome 11p15.5 distinguishes high-grade ovarian carcinomas from either low-grade carcinomas or cystadenomas. We therefore examined the distribution of such losses in different parts of heterogeneous tumors showing mixed histological grades or showing adjacent large histologically benign neoplasms. The results showed that all neoplastic areas, including those that were histologically benign or compatible with low-grade carcinomas, contained allelic losses at the above locus. This suggests that the morphologically less aggressive portions of these heterogeneous tumors were not typical cystadenomas or low-grade carcinomas and contained molecular abnormalities indicative of at least a predisposition to the high-grade carcinoma phenotype.

¹ This work was supported in part by Grants R29 CA51167 and R35 CA53890 from the United States National Cancer Institute and grant EDT-11B from the American Cancer Society.

² To whom requests for reprints should be addressed, at Kenneth Norris Jr. Comprehensive Cancer Center, 1441 Eastlake Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033.

Received 3/31/93. Accepted 8/ 4/93.

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