title: Image cytometric nuclear DNA quantitation of paragangliomas in tissue sections. Prognostic significance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Image cytometric quantitation of nuclear DNA of paragangliomas may provide prognostic information that cannot be obtained from histopathologic study. Flow cytometry has demonstrated DNA aneuploid tumors to have a higher risk of progression than diploid neoplasms.
  
  
  METHODS
  DNA ploidy of 56 paragangliomas was assessed by image cytometry of 5-micron, Feulgen-stained, formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thirty-three (59%) paragangliomas were diploid and 23 (41%) aneuploid. Of the 30 adrenal pheochromocytomas, 15 (50%) were diploid. Thirteen (93%) of the 14 carotid body tumors were diploid. Five of seven (71%) glomus jugulare tumors and two of five (40%) extraadrenal paragangliomas were aneuploid. During a mean follow-up of 57 months (range, 1 month to 36 years) of 44 patients with 47 paragangliomas, 33 (75%) were alive and without disease; 7 (16%), including 1 glomus jugulare, 2 carotid body and 4 pheochromocytoma patients, developed recurrences/metastases. By multivariate analysis, image cytometric DNA ploidy was predictive of disease-free survival for adrenal pheochromocytomas. No significant differences in overall survival, disease-free survival or recurrence/metastasis rate were noted between other diploid and aneuploid tumors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aneuploidy suggests a risk of early recurrence for adrenal pheochromocytomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Held
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: DeRose
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D000310:Adrenal Gland Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002345:Carotid Body Tumor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002467:Cell Nucleus; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005925:Glomus Jugulare Tumor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D019044:Image Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D008867:Microtomy; D010673:Pheochromocytoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D011003:Ploidies; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm