Clinical meaning of DNA content in the long term behaviour of follicular thyroid tumours: a 12-year follow up.
OBJECTIVE
To find out if there was any correlation between the DNA aneuploidy in benign tumours and in malignant follicular tumours of the thyroid and the progression of either disease.


METHODS
Retrospective study.


METHODS
University hospital.


METHODS
71 of 75 patients who had had cytofluorimetric nuclear DNA analyses done on their follicular thyroid tumours during the period 1977-1980, and for whom clinical follow up data were available.


METHODS
Correlation between clinical course and finding of aneuploidy in original histological specimens.


RESULTS
Aneuploidy was found in 6/40 follicular adenomas, 3/17 adenomatous goitres, and in 13/14 follicular carcinomas. The patients were examined after 12 years, when there had been no recurrences of the benign tumours. 5 of the patients with carcinoma had died of distant metastases, all of whom had aneuploid stemlines. There are, however, 8 patients with carcinomas and aneuploidy who are still alive with no recurrences or metastases.


CONCLUSIONS
DNA aneuploidy indicates neither the invasiveness nor the metastatic potential of follicular thyroid tumours, and does not distinguish between the minimally invasive (encapsulated) and highly invasive carcinomas.
Lukács
G L
GL
First Department of Surgery, University Medical School, Debrecen, Hungary.
Balázs
G
G
Zs-Nagy
I
I
Mikó
T
T
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000236:Adenoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000782:Aneuploidy; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm