Unlike constitutional cytogenetics, it is more challenging when talking about the cancer cytogenetics. Today, I would like to discuss with you about the challenge of cancer cytogenetics if compare to constitutional cytogenetics. However, I will only focus on the hematologic malignancies cytogenetics instead of solid tumors.
What is Cancer Cytogenetics?
Cancer cytogenetics is cytogenetic studies on hematological malignant diseases. On the other hand, constitutional cytogenetics is the cytogenetic studies to detect the abnormality that which occur from birth. I would like to make the comparison by using a table.
| Constitutional Cytogenetics | Cancer Cytogenetics |
| Abnormality that which occur from birth. | Abnormal neoplastic proliferation of the blood cell-forming tissues within bone marrow. (Because of chromosomal abnormalities) |
| The abnormality consistently occurs in all the cells. | The abnormalities not consistently occur in all the cells. |
| Involve one or two chromosomal abnormalities. | Involve more than one chromosomal abnormality. |
| Easy to obtain cell growth to be analyzed. | Difficult to obtain leukemic cell growth to be analyzed. |
| Similar chromosome morphology when processed simultaneously. | Widely different chromosome morphologies even processed simultaneously. |
| Can choose the best chromosome morphology to be analyzed. | Good morphology à Normal cells Poor morphology à Abnormal cells |
As we can see, unlike constitutional cytogenetics, the cancer cytogenetics studies are to detect the chromosomal abnormalities that causing the abnormal neoplastic proliferation of the blood cell-forming tissues within bone marrow. Therefore, we can see the abnormality consistently occurs in all the cells when we talking about the constitutional abnormality. However, the abnormalities not consistently appear in all the cells for cancer diseases. One of the challenges for cancer cytogenetics is to grow up the abnormal cells instead of the normal cells for analyzing. But, it is not easy to culture the abnormal cells especially for the leukemic cells.
Secondly, the constitutional abnormality only involves one or two chromosomal abnormalities. In contrast, the cancer cells can be caused by more than one abnormality. For example, we might detect more than one translocations and deletion in one metaphase for leukemic cell.
In addition, there are widely different chromosome morphologies on one slide even though processed simultaneously. Some of the chromosome morphologies are nice but some are poor. Usually, the normal cells will exhibit nice looking chromosome but not for the abnormal cells. Most of the abnormalities can only be detected in metaphase that exhibit poor morphology. Thus, it is very difficult to analyze the chromosome with poor morphology. Furthermore, the chromosome for cancer cell is significantly short. Only the experienced cytogeneticists are able to recognize the abnormality.
In conclusion, it is not easy to carry out the cancer cytogenetics analysis especially for a beginner like me. However, I will try my best to learn and improve myself. This is the challenge for me. I will read up a lot of books and do a lot of tests to improve myself. Writing for Cytogenetics Cancer Research blog is part of my learning too. J
Tags: consitutional cytogenetics
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