Recurrent deletions of chromosomes 11q and 3p in anal canal carcinoma

✍ Scribed by Martine Muleris; Rémy-Jacques Salmon; Jacques Girodet; Brigitte Zafrani; Bernard Dutrillaux

• Book ID: 102863933
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 822 KB
• Volume: 39
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910390509

✦ Synopsis

A cytogenetic study of 8 cases of anal canal cancer, including I cloacogenic and 7 squamous-cell carcinomas, was performed. All tumors exhibited chromosomal abnormalities. A rearrangement involving the long arm of chromosome I I was seen in all instances, and, with the exception of the i (Ilq) found in one tumor, all the observed rearrangements resulted in a deletion of the distal segment. Rearrangements of chromosome 3, detected in 6 tumors, led to a deletion of the short arm in 5 cases. The association of these 2 deletions may characterize the anal canal carcinoma, the smallest common deleted segments being distal to I lq22 or q23 and 3p22.

Squamous carcinoma of the anal canal is a relatively uncommon tumor (1-3 % of all cancers in the distal 20 cm of the alimentary tract). Most of these carcinomas develop from squamous epithelium, but some arise from the transitional zone between the columnar epithelium of the rectum and the squamous epithelium of the anal canal. They are termed cloacogenic or transitional carcinomas (Salmon et al., 1984(Salmon et al., , 1986)). In order to kill cancer cells and to retain normal anal function, the policy of several institutions, mainly in Europe, is to treat these cancers with radiation therapy (Salmon et al., 1985). Surgery is used as a secondary procedure in case of lack of response to irradiation, or of recurrence. It comprises permanent left iliac colostomy and has obvious functional and psychologic implications.

We report here a cytogenetic study on anal canal cancer biopsies obtained from 8 patients diagnosed in the Institut Curie within the last 2 years. All cases exhibited chromosome abnormalities, the most consistent involving chromosomes 11 and 3.