Probing the human genome in search for a new 3q syndrome.

We report a case of partial trisomy 3q syndrome which could not be clinically identified as a distinct entity. The major clinical findings include: psychomotor delay with behavioral problems, coarse facial features, frontal bossing, bushy eyebrows, prominent ears, a small upturned nose and a history of repaired inguinal hernia. There was an additional material on chromosome 4, which could easily be matched with bands 18q21.2-q22; 2p24-p25; 16p21-p23; 10p12-p14; 20q12-q13.2; 15q25-q26.2; 8p23-p24.2 and 6p22.3-p24 and a new syndrome could apparently be suggested based on GTG techniques alone. Nevertheless, by FISH technique, the extra segment was identified as a part of 3q26.3-qter. We provide an extensive review of trisomy 3q syndrome and present a caveat of the consequences of description of new syndromes based on routine banding techniques especially in situations where the origin of chromosomal abnormalities is de novo or parents are not available for cytogenetic evaluation.

Highly complex chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow of a patient with metastatic prostate neoplasm.

Prostate cancer is the single most common malignancy among men in North America. Nevertheless, cytogenetic evaluation of bone marrow in patients with metastatic prostate neoplasm has been rare and, to date, only five such patients have been reported. We report an additional case where chromosomal abnormalities of a bizarre nature were found in the bone marrow. Though cytogenetic findings in prostate cancer are heterogeneously complex, the chromosome regions involved include 1p, 1q, 7q, 8p, 10q, 12p, and 17q and are considered hot spots. What is the significance of these so-called hot spots in metastasis of prostatic cancer to the bone marrow? At present, no meaningful conclusion can be drawn, as data are limited, but accumulation of such cases may provide valuable information concerning the role of chromosomal abnormalities in patients--specifically with metastatic stage--and may help urologists during therapeutic decision making, particularly if a genetic marker for aggressiveness can be determined.