Nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy of testicular tumors: peculiar features and clinical significance.
To verify the usefulness of testicular DNA ploidy measurement, we tried some approaches to tumorous and nontumorous testes. Separation of paraffin-embedded specimens into single dissociated nuclei was performed by Hedley's technique and nuclei were stained with propidium iodide. Control nontumorous testes were clearly separated into the three-peak type with a high G2M percentage and the two-peak type with a low G2M percentage. Among testicular tumors, 25% (8 of 32) had a normal DNA diploid pattern, 15.6% (5 of 32) had an increased DNA tetraploid pattern including DNA polyploidy, and 59.4% (19 of 32) were DNA aneuploid. In detail, 26.3% (5 of 19) of seminomas and 23.1% (3 of 13) of nonseminomas were DNA diploid. Interestingly, seminomas showed a variety of DNA histogram profiles. Among DNA aneuploid tumors, the DNA index of a seminoma was significantly higher than that of a nonseminoma. Among patients who received curative orchiectomy, postoperative metastases did not occur in any of the 8 DNA diploid or 5 tetraploid tumors, but did occur in 4 (21.1%) of 19 DNA aneuploid tumors during an at least 6-year follow-up. Clinicopathological findings were not as predictable as DNA ploidy. Flow cytometry appeared to be useful to characterize testicular tumors.
Suzuki
M
M
Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Hosaka
Y
Y
Matsushima
H
H
Mizutani
T
T
Kawabe
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018236:Carcinoma, Embryonal / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009919:Orchiectomy; D011003:Ploidies; D018239:Seminoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm