title: Flow cytometric and immunohistochemical correlations in high incidence human solid tumors.
abstract: 475 patients with carcinoma at different sites (141 colon-rectum; 102 breast; 50 stomach; 48 kidney; 46 head and neck; 41 bladder; 47 other sites) submitted to surgery have been analyzed after histopathological staging and grading, by flow cytometry (monoparametric DNA content analysis) and immunohistochemistry (p53, c-erbB-2, and PCNA expression). In breast cancer patients the presence of receptors for estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PGR) has also been determined. Flow cytometry-derived parameters were DNA ploidy, fraction of cells in S-phase (SPF), and DNA content heterogeneity (multi-clonal stem cell lines with different DNA index and/or more than one subpopulations with different ploidy levels in different samples from the same tumor). Correlations of the results obtained by the different techniques have been attempted by the non-parametric Spearman's rank correlation approach. Significant associations (P < 0.05) were found between the histopathological, immunohistochemical and flow cytometric parameters considered in some anatomical regions, such as stomach (p53 vs DNA content aneuploidy and vs heterogeneity), colon-rectum (TNM vs p53 and vs heterogeneity), bladder (grading vs DNA content aneuploidy and vs heterogeneity). Tumor heterogeneity proved to be dependent on the number of tumor samples taken. The results of this preliminary assessment will subsequently be compared with the data obtained from a currently ongoing follow-up survey.
authors.affiliation: Sezione di Tossicologia e Scienze Biomediche, ENEA CR Casaccia, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Danesi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spanò
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Antonini
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Altavista
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Catalano
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cordelli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pasqualetti
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santacroce
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Toscano
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mecozzi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fabiano
mesh_terms: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D011003:Ploidies; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D016196:S Phase; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53