No abstract

In a prospective study, the DNA content of Feulgen-stained nuclei obtained from fresh samples of 211 colorectal adenocarcinomas was evaluated by means of image analysis. The DNA histogram classification took into account aneuploidy and S-phase fraction for diploid cases. No significant relationship was found between ploidy and sex, age, preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), size of the tumor, histologic differentiation, or Dukes' stage. Aneuploidy was more frequently encountered in distal tumors. Preoperative CEA, histologic differentiation, Dukes' stage, and ploidy were individually associated with overall survival. In Dukes' A, B, and C tumors, patients with normal and elevated CEA had no significant difference in overall survival. A relationship was apparent between disease-free survival and site, histologic differentiation, Dukes' stage, and ploidy. Multivariate overall survival analysis did not reveal independent prognostic significance of ploidy when all Dukes' stages were considered. In contrast, Dukes' stage, differentiation, and ploidy were good indicators of higher risk of colorectal cancer-related death in patients undergoing curative surgery. Dukes' stage and ploidy were also indicators for recurrence. Thus, routine histopathologic characteristics should be used in combination with quantitative cytologic features for the definition of a relevant prognostic index in colorectal cancer.

In this prospective study, the independent prognostic value of DNA ploidy in combination with the major clinico-pathological characteristics (histological grade, nodal status, tumor size, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, number of tumors, multicentricity, lympho-vascular infiltration) was evaluated in a series of 399 breast-cancer patients. The mean follow-up time was 4.5 years. The DNA content was measured using image cytometry on fresh tumor samples. The overall survival of tetraploid and slowly proliferating diploid cases was significantly different compared with that of aneuploid and rapidly proliferating diploid cases (p = 0.0002). Thus, DNA ploidy combined with S-phase estimate (DNA histogram type) appeared to be good prognostic factors. In a multivariate survival analysis, DNA histogram type was not an independent prognostic factor unless the histological grade was excluded. This effect of DNA histogram type on survival was also observed among patients with grade-I or -II tumors and patients with small tumors. In conclusion, DNA histogram type was a valuable prognostic factor in univariate analysis, and provided independent complementary information for patients considered at low or intermediate risk by classical pathological findings.

No abstract

No abstract