National Cancer Institute (source definition)
Chromosome Banding
The treatment of chromosomes to reveal characteristic patterns of horizontal bands. The banding patterns lend each chromosome a distinctive appearance so the 22 pairs of human non-sex chromosomes and the X and Y chromosomes can be identified and distinguished without ambiguity. Banding also permits the recognition of chromosome deletions (lost segments), chromosome duplications (surplus segments) and other types of structural rearrangements of chromosomes.
Review and references
Automated source check (NCI definition)
2026-10-19
2026-10-19
professional use
What it is
The treatment of chromosomes to reveal characteristic patterns of horizontal bands. The banding patterns lend each chromosome a distinctive appearance so the 22 pairs of human non-sex chromosomes and the X and Y chromosomes can be identified and distinguished without ambiguity. Banding also permits the recognition of chromosome deletions (lost segments), chromosome duplications (surplus segments) and other types of structural rearrangements of chromosomes.
Source: National Cancer Institute, NCI Thesaurus 26.09d, C16437. NCI definition, reproduced without modification under CC BY 4.0.
Source identity and definition checked automatically on 2026-10-18. No individual clinical interpretation or human reviewer is asserted.
Compliance note
Reference intervals and interpretation depend on the laboratory, specimen, method and clinical context. This source definition is educational information; it does not establish a diagnosis, product approval or suitability for an individual.