Cytogenetic investigation of short-term cultures from two leiomyosarcomas revealed complex karyotypic changes in both cases. The first tumor, a subcutaneous leiomyosarcoma of the knee, had the karyotype 70-80,XY, +X, +Y, +1, +1, +2, +2, +3, +3, +4, +4, +7, +7, +8, +8, +9, +10, +15, +15, +16, +16, +18, +19, +20, +21, +21, +22, +22,t(?;5)(5;21)(?;q35p11;q11), t(?;5)(5;21)(?;q35p11;q11), +del(11)(q22),der(13)t(12;13)(q13;q22),der(14)t(9;14)(p11;p11), +14p+, +t(20;?)(q13;?), +t(20;?)(q13;?), +2 mar. A polyploidized clone with 120-150 chromosomes was also observed. DNA flow cytometry revealed only one abnormal peak, corresponding to a DNA index of 1.76. The other tumor, a uterine leiomyosarcoma, had the karyotype 61-67, X, -X, +1, +3, +5, +6, +7, +8, +9, +12, +13, +15, +t(1;1)(p32;q32), +der(1)t(1;8)(p13;q11), +del(2)(p11), +del(2)(q22), +del(2)(q22), +del(3)(p13), +i(5p),t(8;14)(q24;q24), +der(8)t(8;14) (q24;q24), +del(10)(p12),der(11)t(11;15)(p15;q11),t(16;?)(p13;?),t(16;?)(q24;?), der dic(17) (17pter----cen----17q25::hsr::17q25----cen----17pte r), +t(19;?)(p13;?), +der dic(20)(20pter----cen----20q12::hsr::20q12----cen----+ ++20pter), +mar. The DNA index was 1.59. The finding in these leiomyosarcomas of rearrangements of the same regions of chromosomes 12 and 14 that are involved in the tumor-specific t(12;14)(q14-15;q23-24) of uterine leiomyoma indicates that the same genes in 12q and 14q might be important in the pathogenesis of benign and malignant smooth muscle tumors.