title: The use of flow cytometry in assessing malignancy in bone and soft tissue tumors.
abstract: Since 1982, the orthopaedic research laboratories at the authors' hospital has done flow cytometric and more recently cytofluorometric deoxyribonucleic ploidic analyses of samples of bone and soft tissue tumors. The current authors attempt to define the value of such studies in distinguishing benign from malignant tumors, in conforming to stage of the tumors, and in helping to predict metastasis and death. The series consists of 1134 patients in whom the disease was verified and the survival data were available as a result of a questionnaire study. Statistically, the ploidic analyses were of remarkable value in defining malignancy and in correlating with the stage of the lesion. They were of less value in predicting survival, particularly for patients with osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma, but seemed to predict survival effectively for patients with soft tissue sarcomas.
authors.affiliation: Orthopaedic Oncology Service and Pathology Department, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Henry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Mankin
authors.forename: Gertrud
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fondren
authors.forename: Francis J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Hornicek
authors.forename: Mark C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Gebhardt
authors.forename: Andrew E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
mesh_terms: D000782:Aneuploidy; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D002813:Chondrosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018219:Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D012516:Osteosarcoma / Q000473:pathology; D016196:S Phase; D012983:Soft Tissue Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*