Tetraploidy is a state of having fully duplicated sets of chromosomes per cell. It has been described in normally developing bone marrow megakaryocytes or as an adaptive response in other cell types.

Tetraploidy can be induced by several signals and it is highly prevalent in different forms of cancers, suggesting a role for this cell cycle state in promoting cellular transformation.

References

 Nguyen HG, Ravid K. Tetraploidy/aneuploidy and stem cells in cancer promotion: The role of chromosome passenger proteins. J Cell Physiol. 2006 Jul;208(1):12-22. PMID: 16331679