Recurrent t(16;17)(q22;p13) in aneurysmal bone cysts

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign bone lesion for which no previous cytogenetic data exist. We describe the finding of clonal chromosome aberrations in three tumors; two had a t(16;17)(q22;p13) as the sole anomaly, and the third had a del(16)(q22) as the only change. These findings show that somatic mutations contribute to the development of ABC and furthermore indicate that bands 16q22 and 17p13 may harbor genes of importance in this process.