Correlations between molecular alterations and tumor location in oligodendroglial tumors

Objective To investigate the possible correlations between molecular alterations and tumor location in oligodendroglial tumors.Method A series of 105 gliomas were retrospectively reviewed.In each case,the radiologic picture and loss of heterozygosity(LOH)on chromosome 1p and 19q detected by PCR-denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography(DHPLC)were analyzed.The correlations between molecular profile and tumor location were made bv chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.Results Olig odendroglial tumors located in nontemporal lobes were significantly more likely to have combination of LOH 1P and LOH 19q than tumors arising in temporal lobes.In contrast to oligodendroglial tumors,we detected that there was no association between molecular alterations and location for diffuse astrocytomas.Conclusions We conclude that molecular subsets of oligodendroglial tumors may arise preferentially in certain lobes of the brain,with tumors having combination of LOH 1p and LOH 19q occurring most frequently in nontemporal lobes. Key words: Oligodendroglioma; Loss of heterozygosity; Tumor location