title: Prognostic significance of cell DNA content in early-stage ovarian cancer (FIGO stages I and II/A) by means of automatic image cytometry.
abstract: Paraffin-embedded material from 69 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer FIGO stages I and II/A (including 21 patients with borderline carcinoma) was studied with automatic DNA image cytometry. Univariate analysis indicated a significant difference in survival based on the presence of nuclei with high DNA content (higher than 5 C). A group of patients with less than 0.2% cells with high DNA content had a 6-year survival of 87%, whereas in a group of patients with more than 0.2% of such cells, 6-year survival was 49%. This parameter remained significant when used in a group of stage I/a and I/b patients. Statistical analysis of diploid vs. non-diploid tumors also showed significant difference in survival. Separate analysis of 48 invasive ovarian cancers indicated that ploidy, the percentage of cells with high DNA content and tumor stage (stage I/a + b vs. stages I/c + II/a) reached significance for survival, whereas grading did not. In addition, comparison of clinical stage, grading, ploidy and the percentage of cells exceeding 5 C with a threshold at 0.2% by means of a multivariate analysis (Cox regression model) showed that only the percentage of cells exceeding 5 C remained statistically significant.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cytochemistry and Cytometry, Sylvius Laboratory, University of Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Wagner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sevelda
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Assmann
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Knepflé
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Czerwenka
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Heinzl
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ploem-Zaaijer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011003:Ploidies; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm