1. ¹The Male Urological Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, 15 Cotswold Road, Belmont, Sutton, Surrey SM2 5NG, UK
2. ²University of Michigan, Comprehensive Cancer Center, 6312 CCGC, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0942, USA
3. ³Department of Musculoskeletal Pathology, The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust, 111 Dale Road, Selly Oak, Birmingham B29 6AT, UK
4. ⁴Sanger Centre, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
5. ⁵Department of Histopathology, The Royal Marsden NHS Trust, Fulham Road, London SW3 6JJ, UK

Correspondence: Dr Y-F Lee, E-mail: yflee@icr.ac.uk

Received 20 August 2002; Revised 13 November 2002; Accepted 19 November 2002.

Abstract

In this study, we have used genome-wide expression profiling to categorise synovial sarcomas, leiomyosarcomas and malignant fibrous histiocytomas (MFHs). Following hierarchical clustering analysis of the expression data, the best match between tumour clusters and conventional diagnosis was observed for synovial sarcomas. Eight of nine synovial sarcomas examined formed a cluster that was characterised by higher expression of a set of 48 genes. In contrast, sarcomas conventionally classified as leiomyosarcomas and MFHs did not match the clusters defined by hierarchical clustering analysis. One major cluster contained a mixture of both leiomyosarcomas and MFHs and was defined by the lower expression of a set of 202 genes. A cluster containing a subgroup of MFHs was also detected. These results may have implications for the classification of soft tissue sarcomas, and are consistent with the view that sarcomas conventionally defined as MFHs do not represent a separate diagnostic category.