Recent years have seen the development of biological research that encompasses the pathomechanisms of tumour transformation, hence enabling increasingly better and more effective diagnosis. This has been greatly influenced by the advances that have taken place in the field of molecular research and, in particular, molecular cytogenetics. From a molecular point of view, it is known that cancer processes result from changes in the structure and function of a cell. The transformations that take place in the cell ultimately lead to changes in genes and their activity.

In specialised laboratories, tumour cells can be subjected to cytogenetic tests that determine in detail disorders in the genetic material. These tests are carried out after so-called in vitro culture, of tumour-affected material taken from the patient. Such cells are incubated for approximately 48 to 72 hours. The incubation takes place in a liquid medium that is enriched with antibiotics and specific growth promoters.

photo: panthermedia

After this time, the cells are fixed in such a way as to inhibit their growth in metaphase. Classical cytogenetics uses differential chromosome staining to reveal G-strands and karyotypic analysis, which is extremely important in the diagnostic process, since the vast majority of abnormalities in cancer cells are the result of abnormal chromosome morphology.

Cytogenetic studies not only give a quantitative picture concerning the multiplication or loss of a certain area of the genome, but also a qualitative one indicating any changes in translation resulting from DNA breaks and abnormal rejoining of strands."[1]