ANALYSIS OF PLOIDY AND PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY IN CHILDHOOD NON-HODGKINS-LYMPHOMA (NHL) AND HODGKINS-DISEASE (HD)

We have performed DNA analysis by means of fluorescence-activated cell cytometry on paraffin-embedded tissue from the diagnostic biopsy spec imens in 40 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and 25 of Hodgkin's disease (HD) and from 50 normal tonsils as controls. For HD cases, ane uploidy was found in 7 of 25 (28%), a higher proportion than in two pr evious studies of mainly adult patients. Diploid tumors showed S-phase fractions (SPFs) similar to those of controls. In the NHL cases aneup loidy was found in 12 of 40 (30%) with no significant association with site, stage, histopathology, immunophenotype, or prognosis. SPFs were highest in abdominal and chest primary sites but were not related to stage. Burkitt's lymphomas had the highest SPFs relative to lymphoblas tic (P < .01) and centroblastic lymphomas (P < .05). Significantly hig her SPFs were found in B cell than in T cell tumors (P < .001). There was considerable heterogeneity for SPFs within each NHL subgroup. Surv ival was worse at 5 years for those with high SPFs compared with those with normal SPFs (P = .04). These results suggest that tumor DNA anal ysis maybe useful in the evaluation of children with NHL. Larger studi es are needed to define its role as an independent prognostic variable .