title: DNA ploidy level as prognostic factor in low stage carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
abstract: Flow cytometry was used to measure DNA content of tumor cells in paraffin-embedded archival material from 89 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix uteri stages IB and IIA. Patients were all treated with radical hysterectomy and transperitoneal lymphadenectomy. Twenty-four percent received radiotherapy postoperatively because of tumor spread into parametria or positive lymph nodes. Ploidy grade was compared to other prognostic factors. DNA-aneuploidy was seen in 44 (49%), DNA-diploidy in 16 (18%) and 29 (33%) of the tumors were DNA-periploid. Sixty-nine (78%) patients were in FIGO stage IB, 20 (22%) in IIA. In 19 (21%) lymph node metastases were found, vasoinvasion in 25 (28%). Overall disease-specific 5-year survival was 80%. There was a significant effect of positive lymph nodes (90% vs 47%) and vasoinvasion (87% vs 64%) on the 5-year survival (resp. P less than 0.01 and P = 0.02). No correlation was found between stage (81% for IB vs 80% for IIA) or DNA-ploidy grade (81% for aneuploidy, 82% for periploidy, 79% for diploidy) and survival (resp. P = 0.9 and P = 0.8). Ploidy grade was equally divided over other prognostic factors. In stepwise Cox regression analysis DNA-ploidy grade showed no independent effect on survival. We conclude that DNA flow cytometry in this material was of no additional prognostic value.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynaecology, University of Leiden.
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Kenter
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cornelisse
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Aartsen
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mooy
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hermans
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Heintz
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Fleuren
mesh_terms: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011003:Ploidies; D011379:Prognosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm