DNA-PLOIDY HETEROGENEITY IN EARLY AND ADVANCED GASTRIC CANCERS

To evaluate the clinical utility of flow cytometric DNA analysis in ga stric cancers, four or more fresh tissue specimens were systematically taken from gastric cancers in 127 consecutive patients including 68 e arly cancers, DNA ploidy and its variation in individual tumors were d etermined, and the data were related to clinicopathologic findings, DN A aneuploidy was detected frequently (84.3%) irrespective of tumor pro gression and correlated significantly with histologic grade (G1-2 [89. 6%] vs, G3-4 [76.0%], P < 0.05), DNA ploidy heterogeneity was found in 67.7% of tumors and correlated with invasion depth (mucosa [40.5%] vs , submucosa-serosa [81.2%], P < 0.001), regional lymph node metastases (negative [58.4%] vs, positive [82.0%], P < 0.01), and stage grouping (I [58.8%] vs, II-IV [86.0%], P < 0.01), The maximum DNA index of a t umor correlated significantly with invasion depth (mucosa [1.16, media n] vs, submucosa [1.82], P < 0.01) and lymph node metastases (negative [1.22] vs, positive [1.86], P < 0.001), The DNA index of the subpopul ation that was the most widely distributed within the tumor was signif icantly associated with lymph node metastases (negative [1.14, median] vs. positive [1.44], P < 0.001) and histologic grade (G1-2 [1.37] vs, G3-4 [1.12], P < 0.001), More than 80% of the diploid and/or single a neuploid stemline tumors were stage I, whereas more than half of diplo id and multiple aneuploid stemline tumors were stage IV, Variation in DNA ploidy rather than presence of DNA aneuploidy correlates best with progression of gastric cancer, (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.