EXPRESSION OF PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN AND DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC-ACID VALUE IN RENAL-CELL CARCINOMA - CORRELATION WITH DIFFERENT HISTOPATHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS AND PATIENT SURVIVAL

Forty-six human renal cell carcinoma tissues obtained from radical nep hrectomy, fixed in 10% formaldehyde solution and embedded in paraffin for histopathological examination were used for immunohistochemical st aining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) using a monoclonal antibody PC10, and 37 of the 46 were also used for flow cytometric DN A ploidy analysis. PCNA-positive rates were compared with different hi stopathological parameters and patient survival. The relationships bet ween the DNA ploidy and PCNA-positive rates and patient survival were also determined. Statistically significant differences in PCNA-positiv e rates were observed in different histopathological grades and stages of renal cell carcinoma. No relationship was observed between the PCN A-positive rate and DNA ploidy. For all cases analyzed, patients whose tumors had PCNA-positive rates of less than 10% survived statisticall y longer than those with tumors with PCNA-positive rates of 10% or mor e (p < 0.02). When patients were stratified by histopathological stage -I and grade-1 tumors, however, there was no significant difference be tween the PCNA-positive rate and survival, No difference in survival w as observed according to DNA ploidy, The PCNA-positive rates showed a close relation to the different histopathological grades and stages of renal cell carcinoma. For all cases analyzed, high PCNA-positive rate s showed poor prognosis. But for patients with histopathological stage -I and grade-1 tumors, the PCNA-positive rates and DNA ploidy did not provide independent prognostic information.