Mucin-producing pancreatic tumors: A study of nuclear DNA content by flow cytometry

Abstract

Nuclear DNA content in eight surgically resected mucin-producing pancreatic tumors (MPPT) consisting of two mucinous intraductal adenocarcinomas (MIDAC), two mucinous intraductal adenomas (MIDA), one mucinous cyst-adenocarcinoma (MCAC), and three mucinous cystadenomas (MCA) were measured by flow cytometry using paraffin-embedded tissue samples. The technique of Shutte was used for the preparation of paraffin-embedded tissue into single dissociated nuclei, while the method of Vindelov was used for staining the isolated nuclei with propidium iodine. Clinicopathologically, the four patients with MIDAC or MIDA were all male and had cystic lesions with a dilated pancreatic duct at the head of the pancreas, while the four patients with MCAC or MCA were all females and had cystic tumors at either the body or tail of the pancreas. All eight patients with MPPT had no metastasis to the regional lymph nodes and were all still alive without recurrence. In an analysis of nuclear DNA content, seven of eight patients had DNA diploid tumors while one patient with a MIDAC perforating the duodenum and choledochus had a DNA aneuploid tumor. Thus, these findings suggest that DNA diploid patterns in MPPT might be associated with a favorable prognosis in MPPT although some patients whose MPPT invaded the surrounding organs might have DNA aneuploid tumors.

Intraductal papillary‐mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas

“…Before the term IPMN was proposed to encompass the spectrum of these tumors under one heading,1, 2, 17 they had been reported in the literature under a plethora of terms, including villous adenomas or intraductal papillary neoplasms ,4–6, 28–37 mucin‐producing tumors or intraductal mucin‐hypersecreting tumors ,10–13, 38–50 and mucinous duct ectasia or ductectatic mucinous cystic neoplasms 7–9, 51–56. Our study confirms that there is significant histologic overlap among these clinical entities and that it is justified to categorize them as one group: IPMN 2, 15, 17.…”

Nuclear Ploidy as an Indicator of Malignancy of Intraductal Pancreatic Papillary Mucinous Tumors

“…Unfortunately, only few studies were focused on the analysis of DNA content in pancreatic IPMC. Some authors noted a diploid chromosome set in adenoma nuclei and detected aneuploid nuclei in carcinoma [11]. Others detected only diploid nuclei in all studied IPMC (benign, borderline, and malignant) [6].…”