Comparison of the intratumor DNA ploidy distribution pattern between differentiated and undifferentiated gastric carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To compare the differences in intratumor DNA ploidy distribution pattern between differentiated and undifferentiated carcinoma of the stomach.


METHODS
Two hundred five cases of surgically resected gastric carcinoma were studied, comprising 125 differentiated and 80 undifferentiated carcinomas. DNA ploidy was determined by means of flow cytometry in stepwise sections of the entire tumor. The intratumor DNA ploidy distribution pattern was compared between these two histologic types.


RESULTS
Differentiated carcinomas comprised 35 cases of predominantly diploid (28%) and 90 cases of predominantly aneuploid (72%) tumors, while undifferentiated carcinomas comprised 46 cases of predominantly diploid (57.5%) and 34 cases of predominantly aneuploid (42.5%) (P < .01). The frequency of cases showing predominantly aneuploidy among the differentiated carcinomas was significantly higher than among the undifferentiated carcinomas at stages IA and IIIA. The rate of cases showing heterogeneity was lower among the early-stage cases than among the advanced-stage cases in both histologic types. Among the differentiated carcinomas, there were 22 cases that had more than six DNA stemlines in each tumor, whereas among undifferentiated carcinomas, there were six such cases (P < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
There were more cases with high malignant potential among the differentiated carcinoma cases than among the undifferentiated carcinoma cases in the present series.
Sasaki
O
O
Department of Gastroenterology, Sawara Hospital, Fukuoka Dental College, Japan.
Soejima
K
K
Korenaga
D
D
Haraguchi
Y
Y
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000782:Aneuploidy; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002469:Cell Separation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008867:Microtomy / Q000379:methods; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011003:Ploidies; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm