Flow cytometric studies of ploidy and proliferative indices in the Yorkshire trial of adjuvant progestogen treatment of endometrial cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To estimate whether flow cytometric indices provide independent measures of prognosis or predict response to prophylactic progestogens in endometrial cancer.


METHODS
Endometrial tumour specimens were retrieved and analysed by flow cytometry from 257 women who had been randomly allocated in a previous trial to receive prophylactic progestogen in addition to conventional therapy for endometrial carcinoma.


METHODS
Fourteen district and two teaching hospitals in West Yorkshire.


METHODS
Women developing primary endometrial cancer between 1975 and 1983.


METHODS
Tumour ploidy status and proliferative indices and the relation of these to tumour stage and grade, to prognosis and to response to progestogens.


RESULTS
Ploidy status and proliferative indices were related to tumour stage, grade and patient survival but were not independent predictors of survival. They did not predict patients who would respond to progestogens although there was a nonsignificant trend towards patients with diploid tumours surviving longer after progestogen treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
Flow cytometry adds little to established prognostic indicators for endometrial cancer.
Thornton
J G
JG
Institute of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, University of Leeds, UK.
Ali
S
S
O'Donovan
P
P
Griffin
N
N
Wells
M
M
MacDonald
R R
RR
D000368:Aged; D000782:Aneuploidy; D002455:Cell Division; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics; D004171:Diploidy; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality; D004717:Endometrium / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011003:Ploidies; D011372:Progestins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011379:Prognosis
D011372:Progestins; D004247:DNA