title: DNA flow cytometry in patients undergoing liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to analyse patterns of DNA content in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) submitted to orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Paraffin-embedded archival material from 15 patients (ten men, five women, mean age 51 +/- 1.78 years) transplanted in St-Roch Hospital between 1988 and 1991 was available for laboratory evaluation by flow cytometry. Five out of 15 were incidental HCC. The analysis was performed by a FACSscan flow cytometer coupled to a Hewlett-Packard computer. The cellular DNA content was defined as diploid or aneuploid in the presence of a single (DNA index of 1) or two distinct (DNA index different from 1) Gzero/G1 peaks, respectively. All incidental HCC (five patients) were diploid, the tumour size was 1.2 +/- 0.2 cm, the number of nodules was 1.4 +/- 0.24 and the mortality rate was 40%. No death in the incidental HCC group was related to neoplastic recurrence. In the remaining ten patients transplanted for HCC, we observed 50% diploid tumours, the tumour size was 5.2 +/- 1.55 cm and the number of nodules was 2.7 +/- 0.56. In this group six patients died of neoplastic recurrence (two were diploid and four aneuploid). The diameter of the neoplasm in diploid patients who died of neoplastic recurrence was over 5 cm and the number of nodules was over three. Moreover, in aneuploid patients who died of neoplastic recurrence, the diameter of the neoplasm was less than 5 cm in three cases and the number of nodules was less than three in two patients. This study indicates that incidental HCC may be a less aggressive malignancy and may have a better prognosis. In this group, no patient recurred after OLT and all tumours were diploid. Aneuploidy, tumour size (> 5 cm) and number of lesions (> 3) are prognostic indicators for neoplastic recurrence in patients transplanted for hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Liver Transplantation, University of Sophia Antipolis, Saint-Roch Hospital, Nice, France.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Crafa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gugenheim
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruggiero
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mouiel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery*; D016031:Liver Transplantation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm