The prognostic significance of nuclear DNA content in malignant epithelial tumors of the ovary

Article Abstract:

Although ovarian cancer is the third most common cancer of the female genital tract, it ranks first as a cause of death. One of the characteristics which has been shown to be of value in predicting the course and prognosis of ovarian cancer is the DNA content of the tumor cells. A DNA content which represents a chromosome complement different from the normal 46 tends to be associated with tumors of a poorer prognosis. Unfortunately, the techniques for measuring DNA content in histological sections may be quite laborious and time consuming. Flow cytometry, in which individual cells are dropped past fluorescence-detecting optics, is fast and convenient, but its use is ordinarily limited to blood cells, which are floating free, rather than tissue cells, which are bound up in a complicated matrix. It is possible, however, to take a paraffin section of an ovarian tumor, just as is cut for conventional histological examination, and treat it with enzymes to break down the tissue. Individual cell nuclei can be recovered, and may be examined with the automatic flow cytometer for DNA content, just as if they were individual cells. When such an analysis was performed on 120 consecutive patients with primary ovarian carcinoma, 99 specimens yielded flow cytometric data that were adequate for interpretation. Of the 99, 51 were diploid, or had the normal complement of human chromosomes. The remaining 48 were aneuploid, that is, having an abnormal number of chromosomes. When survival curves were plotted, it was clear that the patients with aneuploid tumors had a decreased survival rate after six years. The five-year survival rate for patients with diploid tumors was 50 percent; only 22 percent of the aneuploid patients were alive after five years. These data agree with previous data obtained by image analysis. But image analysis is time consuming, and its application to routine analysis may not be practical. However, flow cytometry does an effective job of identifying tumors with chromosome abnormalities, and does so in a fast, economical way. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

DNA

---

Prognostic significance of flow cytometric DNA analysis in node-negative breast cancer patients

Article Abstract:

The widening array of treatment alternatives available for cancer has placed new significance on prognostic indicators. Presumably, better results may be achieved if more aggressive treatments are chosen for patients with a poorer prognosis, while patients with a good prognosis can be spared unnecessarily harsh side effects. In breast cancer, the single most important factor in determining prognosis is the spread of cancer to the lymph nodes. Although patients with negative lymph nodes enjoy a better prognosis, recurrence is still a possibility, and 30 percent of node-negative breast cancer patients will die of their disease within 10 years. If additional prognostic factors could be identified, some of these patients might be saved with more aggressive systemic adjuvant chemotherapy. One prognostic factor that might prove to be of value is the DNA content of tumor cells. Previous studies have shown that an abnormal quantity of DNA, indicative of an aneuploid chromosome content, is an indicator of poorer prognosis for breast cancer. An advantage to the method is that DNA analysis may be quantified by automated devices including the flow cytometer. Using archival tumor specimens, a retrospective DNA analysis was performed for 155 node-negative patients with breast cancer; the median available follow-up at the time of the study was 10 years. It was found that 64 tumors, or 41 percent, measured as aneuploid. Of these 64 patients, 23 had relapsed and 21 had died. Of the remaining 91 patients with an apparently normal DNA complement, only eight have relapsed and six have died. Although the apparent chromosome complement, or ploidy, was related to tumor size and grade, the results could not be accounted for solely on this basis. A Cox multivariate statistical model revealed that tumor grade, tumor size, patient age, and ploidy were all independent predictors of overall survival. The results suggest that DNA analysis is a predictor of risk of recurrence, and may prove to be clinically useful. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Breast cancer, Chromosomes, Ploidy

---

Mucinous carcinoma of the ovary: pathologic prognostic factors

Article Abstract:

Mucinous tumors derive their name from the mucin which accumulates in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. (Mucin is a glycoprotein present in mucus.) Many mucinous tumors of the ovary, which arise from the layer of epithelial cells covering the ovary, are benign, but some have malignant potential. Pathologists have paid much attention to characteristics which distinguish malignant mucinous carcinomas from benign varieties of mucinous tumor of the ovary. The classification of mucinous tumors remains controversial, however. In the debate over classification, less attention has been paid to the features of the tumor which most strongly influence patient survival. Pathologic features of 34 ovarian mucinous carcinomas were therefore tabulated to determine factors important for prognosis. Noninvasive mucinous carcinoma (NIMC) was defined as a covering of tumor cells at least three layers deep on the surface of the ovary. In contrast, an invasive mucinous carcinoma (IMC) in a tumor that has crept into the underlying stroma, or structural tissues of the ovary. Of the 34 patients, five of 22 with NIMC died. Of the 12 patients with IMC, 10 died, indicating that invasive tumor is a striking prognostic indicator for mucinous carcinoma of the ovary. Fifteen of the patients with noninvasive tumor had early Stage I disease; one had Stage II, five Stage III, and one Stage IV. Of the five patients from this group who died, four had Stage III disease and one had Stage I disease. Other pathological factors, such as tumor grade as determined by the appearance of the cell nuclei and the level of proliferative activity observed, were not found to have any influence on the case outcome. The results of this study indicate that the prognosis of early mucinous carcinoma of the ovary without indications of invasion of underlying stroma is very good. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Similar abstracts:

• Abstracts: The prognostic significance of peritoneal cytology for stage I endometrial cancer. DNA content as a prognostic factor in endometrial carcinoma
• Abstracts: The incidence and significance of thromboembolic complications in patients with high-grade gliomas. Interstitial radiogold implantation for the treatment of recurrent high-grade gliomas
• Abstracts: Gastric carcinoids and their precursor lesions: a histologic and immunohistochemical study of 23 cases. An analysis of immunocomplexes for the detection of the early stages of colon cancer

This website is not affiliated with document authors or copyright owners. This page is provided for informational purposes only. Unintentional errors are possible.