[Flow cytometric analysis of DNA content of urinary bladder cancers--study on primary tumors and metastasized lymph nodes].
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to evaluate DNA ploidy patterns and metastatic patterns between primary tumors and metastatic lymph nodes in bladder tumor patients with lymph node metastases.


METHODS
Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to study the DNA ploidy. The DNA ploidy patterns in 16 lymph node metastases in relation to the degree of ploidy in the primary bladder tumor were evaluated in 63 patients who underwent total cystectomy.


RESULTS
The primary tumor that had metastasized was G3 tumor in grade and over pT2 in stage in many cases. Thirty-nine diploid tumors had given raise to lymph node metastases in only 5 cases (13%), whereas 11 cases (46%) of aneuploid tumors had metastasized (p < 0.01). With regard to ploidy patterns between primary tumors and the corresponding lymph node metastases, four patterns were noted, namely D-->D (5 cases), D + A-->D (4), A-->A (5) and A-->D (2) (D: DNA diploid, A: DNA aneuploid). The DNA index between the primary tumors and the corresponding lymph node metastases was the same in all but 2 cases (14/16.88%). In cases with lymph node metastases, the prognosis was very poor whether or not the DNA ploidy of the primary tumors or the metastatic tumors was DNA aneuploid.


CONCLUSIONS
These data suggest that a malignant cell on the primary tumor metastasized to the lymph node in many cases.
D000368:Aged; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011003:Ploidies; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm