Chromosome aberrations in tenosynovial giant cell tumors and nontumorous synovial tissue

Five tenosynovial giant cell tumors—4 pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) and 1 nodular tenosynovitis (NTS)—were investigated cytogenetically. Clonal chromosome aberrations were detected in 3 of them. One PVNS had t(7;16)(q22;q24) as the sole anomaly, whereas 1 PVNS and the NTS displayed aberrations suggesting clonal evolution: t(1;19)(p11;p12)/t(1;19), + 12 and ins(5;1)(q31;p13p34)/ins(5;1),t(2;4)(p23;q21), respectively. Including our 3 cases, a total of 6 tenosynovial giant cell tumors with karyotypic changes have been reported. Apart from 2 PVNS with trisomies 5 and 7, and 2 NTS with rearrangement of chromosome band 1p13, no recurrent chromosome change has been detected. Although the detection of clonal, acquired chromosome abnormalities has formerly generally been accepted as sufficient to conclude that a lesion is neoplastic, the interpretation of the pathogenetic significance of the karyotypic aberrations in synovial tumors is obscured by the fact that we have also detected comparable aberrations in obviously nonneoplastic synovial tissue. One of 2 lesions from patients with hemorrhagic synovitis carried a clonal del(13)(q12q21), and 2 of 4 synovectomy samples from patients with rheumatoid arthritis displayed –Y and –Y together with +7. The available cytogenetic data therefore cannot be used to resolve the controversy as to whether tenosynovial giant cell tumors are truly neoplastic or only reactive, inflammatory proliferations. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.