Patterns of chromosomal imbalances in benign solitary fibrous tumours of the pleura

Solitary fibrous tumours (SFTs) of the pleura, in contrast to malignant mesothelioma, occur independently of previous asbestos exposure. They are benign tumours, but may recur if the stalk to the adjacent pleural or lung tissue remains in situ during surgical removal. The molecular pathology of SFTs is largely unknown. We used comparative genomic hybridisation (CGH) to characterise 12 localised SFTs and 12 predominantly sarcomatoid mesotheliomas. Fifty-eight percent of the investigated SFTs did not show any chromosomal imbalances. The most frequent defects were losses on chromosome arms 13q (33%), 4q and 21q (17% each). Significant gains were seen at chromosome 8 and at 15q in two cases each. There was no correlation between tumour size and molecular pathology findings. In contrast, 75% of the mesotheliomas carried chromosomal defects. On average, the mesotheliomas showed over three times as many defects per tumour as the SFTs. Localisation of several frequent losses and gains were similar to those of the SFTs. Therefore, in individual cases, a clear distinction between SFTs and sarcomatoid mesotheliomas is not possible based on CGH analysis alone. Further molecular characterisation of this rare tumour entity will be necessary to elucidate possible genes involved in early tumorigenesis. Received: 24 January 2000 / Accepted: 22 March 2000