DNA ploidy and proliferating cell nuclear antigen image analysis of peritoneal and pleural effusions. A possible diagnostic role.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the role of DNA and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) image analysis (IA) in enhancing the diagnostic sensitivity of conventional cytology (CC).


METHODS
The histopathologic and clinical data on 87 consecutive pleural and peritoneal effusions were used to evaluate the accuracy of CC and DNA IA results.


RESULTS
CC showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of 65%, 100%, 100% and 62%, respectively. Aneuploidy peaks were seen in 49 cases; 47 of them were true positives. Thirty of 38 diploid cases were true negatives. The sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV were 85%, 94%, 96% and 80%, respectively. There were positive correlations between DNA ploidy profile and PCNA proliferative index (PI), (R = .697) and significant differences in PCNA PI between malignant and benign effusions (P < .001).


CONCLUSIONS
The DNA IA PI by PCNA can be used as a complementary diagnostic tool with CC in cytologically inconclusive cases.
el-Habashi
A H
AH
Pathology Department, Cairo University, Egypt.
Freeman
S M
SM
el-Morsi
B
B
el-Didi
M
M
Martin
A
A
Marrogi
A J
AJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000166:cytology* / Q000175:diagnosis; D003584:Cytological Techniques; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000166:cytology* / Q000175:diagnosis; D011003:Ploidies; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen