PROLIFERATIVE CELL INDEXES MEASURED BY DNA FLOW-CYTOMETRY IN NODE-NEGATIVE ADENOCARCINOMAS OF BREAST - ACCURACY AND SIGNIFICANCE IN CYTOKERATIN-STAINED ARCHIVAL SPECIMENS
Jv. Frei et al., PROLIFERATIVE CELL INDEXES MEASURED BY DNA FLOW-CYTOMETRY IN NODE-NEGATIVE ADENOCARCINOMAS OF BREAST - ACCURACY AND SIGNIFICANCE IN CYTOKERATIN-STAINED ARCHIVAL SPECIMENS, Modern pathology, 7(9), 1994, pp. 925-929
Proliferative rates of 73 node-negative adenocarcinomas of breast with
5-year or greater follow-up were studied using cytokeratin staining i
n two-parameter DNA flow cytometry of archival specimens. Quality cont
rol data of accuracy of the measurements were determined and all analy
ses were compared with single-parameter results of the same specimens,
using demarcated tumor areas, quadruple analyses, and computerized no
nspecific staining subtraction. Mitotic rates of the same samples corr
elated highly significantly with the S-phase fractions and proliferati
ve index (S + G(2) + M phases), especially for the cytokeratin data. T
he predictive value of mitotic rates was found significant, but that o
f the DNA flow-cytometry-obtained indices was not, probably because of
low numbers of deaths in this study. The cytokeratin method identifie
d heteroploid tumors containing a diploid cell population not identifi
able by single-parameter analysis. In conclusion, cytokeratin staining
can be reliably applied to DNA flow cytometry of archival specimens g
iving accurate ploidy, S-phase fractions, and proliferative index data
limited almost exclusively to neoplastic cell populations. This will
permit large-scale retrospective studies aimed at establishing the use
fulness of DNA flow cytometry for clinical decisions on therapy of sur
gically removed node-negative adenocarcinomas of breast.