title: DNA ploidy status: its impact on early-stage endometrial adenocarcinoma.
abstract: DNA ploidy status, as determined by flow cytometry, has been useful in predicting survival in certain malignancies. Between January 1975 and January 1985, 85 cases that met the inclusion criteria-pathologic stage I endometrial adenocarcinomas, primary surgical therapy, endometrioid cell type, and adequate paraffin-block samples-were analyzed by DNA flow cytometry. Depth of myometrial invasion, tumor grade, and presence of lymphatic vascular space invasion were established in all cases. Ten of the 85 tumors (12%) were aneuploid. The median follow-up was 9 years with a range of 2 to 16 years. There were 9 recurrences with 5 deaths from cancer, and 8 patients died of intercurrent disease. The relative hazards for recurrence associated with aneuploidy, S-phase fraction, grade 3 histology, and any myometrial invasion were 3.1, 3.18, 3.2, and 4.9, respectively, but did not reach statistical significance. Because of the low recurrence and mortality rate in this homogeneous group, a larger sample will be necessary to fully establish a role for DNA ploidy status in identifying a poor prognostic subset.
authors.affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02114.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bell
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002453:Cell Cycle; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011003:Ploidies
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm