Nearly identical near-haploid karyotype in a peritoneal mesothelioma and a retroperitoneal malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor

The presence of a near-haploid karyotype is a rare finding in human malignancies, most frequently occurring in acute leukemia. In solid tumors, a near-haploid karyotype has been reported in fewer than 40 cases. We report two nearly identical near-haploid karyotypes from two distinctly different tumor types. The first case is a biphasic malignant mesothelioma from a 53-year-old white woman forming a large retroperitoneal mass. Cytogenetic evaluation revealed a primary hyperdiploid cell population as well as near-haploid and hypertetraploid populations with an overall karyotype of 27,XX,i(5)(p10),+7,add(15)(p11.2),+dic(1;20)(p13;p13)[2]/54,idemx2[90]/101-108,idemx4[19]. The second case is a large pelvic mass from a 48-year-old man. Histologic examination identified a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor displaying a karyotype of 26,X,+i(5)(p10),+7,der(15)t(1;15)(q12;p12),+20[5]/52,idemx2[20]. Herein we discuss the potential relationship between these two disparate neoplasms with nearly identical near-haploid karyotypes and present a literature review.