FLOW CYTOM ETRIC ANALYSIS OF CELLULAR DNA CONTENT IN EPITHELIAL OVARIAN TUMOR

The DNA content of tumor all was analyzed by flow cytometry on parafflnembedded specimens in 73 patients with epithelial ovarian tumor, and its clinical significance was evaluated. One of the 5 benign (20%), 2 of the 11 borderline (18.18%), and 30 of the 57 malignant (52. 63%) tumors were aneuplold. The occurrence rate of aneuploidy In malignant tumors was higher than In benign and borderline tumors ( P < 0. 05 ). Furthermore, aneuploidy was more frequently In the advanced stages (Ⅲ -Ⅳ ) (77. 7%) than in the early stages (Ⅰ - Ⅱ ) (9. 5%) (P<0. 005). The occurrence rate of DNA aneuploidy was higher in patients associated with ascites and the residual tumor≥.2 cm. Patients with aneuploid tumors had more of ten ascites (P<0. 005) and residual tumor size≥2cm (P< 0.005). There was no apparent correlation between the DNA ptoidy and the histologic grade, histologic type of the tumors. G0/G1 cell proportion of DNA diplold tumors in advanced carcinoma (64. 6%) was less than those of early stage carcinoma (

Flow cytometric analysis of cellular DNA content in epithelial ovarian tumor

The DNA content of tumor all was analyzed by flow cytometry on paraffinembedded specimens in 73 patients with epithelial ovarian tumor, and its clinical significance was evaluated. One of the 5 benign (20%), 2 of the 11 borderline (18.18%), and 30 of the 57 malignant (52. 63%) tumors were aneuploid. The occurrence rate of aneuploidy in malignant tumors was higher than in benign and borderline tumors (P<0.05). Furthermore, aneuploidy was more frequently in the advanced stages (III–IV) (77.7%) than in the early stages (I–II) (9.5%) (P<0.005). The occurrence rate of DNA aneuploidy was higher in patients associated with ascites and the residual tumor ⩾2 cm. Patients with aneuploid rumors had more of ten ascites (P<0.005) and residual tumor size⩾2cm (P<0.005). There was no apparent correlation between the DNA ploidy and the histologic grade, histologic type of the tumors. G₀/G₁ cell proportion of DNA diploid tumors in advanced carcinoma (64.6%) was less than those of early stage carcinoma (75.9%) (P<0.05). The survival rate of diploid tumor patients was higher than that of aneuploid tumor patients in the different time after operation, and the median survival time was 30.2 months and 10.3 months, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that cellular DNA ploidy was the most important predictive factor (P=0.007) of prognosis, followed by residual tumor size (P=0.05). Different tumor specimen of the same patient can exhibit variation sometime (38.9%). The results revealed that the DNA ploidy may reflect tumor biological characteristics, i. e. , its proliferative ability. Analysis of cellular DNA content of epithelial ovarian tumors would help us to predict the prognosis of the patients better.