MOLECULAR CYTOGENETIC MARKERS IN GLIOMA PROGNOSIS

Tumors of the central nervous system account for approximately 2% of all
cancer deaths, and are the second largest cause of cancer death in the
pediatric population. Among men 15-54 years old, brain tumors are the
third most frequent cause of cancer death, and among women 15-34 years
old, they are 4th most frequent. This project is designed to identify new
sites of altered DNA copy number on chromosomes by using a newly
developed methology called "comparative genomic hybridization" (CGH).
This method allows us to map increases and decreases of DNA copy number
onto normal human chromosomes, and has already identified candidate
areas previously unrecognized in tumors. Our major emphasis will be to
map and validate candidate areas of decreased and increased DNA copy
number in gliomas. A major technical emphasis will be fluorescence in
situ hybridization (FSH) to identify genetic aberrations both in single
primary brain tumor cells and in DNA isolated from brain tumors.