title: Single- and double-stranded RNA measurements by flow cytometry in solid neoplasms.
abstract: We investigated the ability of single- and double-stranded RNA measurements to discriminate between neoplastic and non-neoplastic solid tissues. Sixty-one solid nonhematopoietic neoplasms, 10 reactive non-neoplastic lesions, and 26 normal tissue samples were the test materials. Single-stranded ribonucleic acid (s-RNA) levels and double-stranded ribonucleic acid (ds-RNA) excess in these specimens were defined in relationship to normal human lymphocytes. The mean s-RNA index in normal, reactive, benign, and diploid and aneuploid malignant tissue samples was 0.90, 1.54, 1.9, 1.2, and 2.2, respectively. For ds-RNA, the mean excess level for normal, reactive, benign, and diploid and aneuploid malignant specimens was 8.5%, 18.5%, 51.0%, 36.0%, and 41.3%, respectively. No statistical differences in s-RNA level were found between non-neoplastic and neoplastic tissue samples. A significant difference in ds-RNA excess was found between non-neoplastic and benign, and diploid and aneuploid malignant neoplastic tissue (P less than 0.001). The specificity of s-RNA level and ds-RNA excess was 94.4% and 100%, and the sensitivity was 29.5% and 67.2%, respectively. Notably, ds-RNA determinations identified 70.0% of the diploid neoplastic samples, in contrast to 20% by s-RNA. Our preliminary data suggest that ds-RNA may be a useful parameter and may complement DNA ploidy in identification of solid neoplasms, especially if the yield of intact cells is improved.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030.
authors.forename: A K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: el-Naggar
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Batsakis
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Teague
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garnsey
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Barlogie
mesh_terms: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry; D011003:Ploidies; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D012330:RNA, Double-Stranded; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm