PROGNOSTIC IMPACT OF DNA CONTENT AND AUER CLASSIFICATION IN PRIMARY FALLOPIAN-TUBE CARCINOMA

DNA ploidy has been studied in 61 primary fallopian tube carcinomas us ing image-cytometry. The investigation also included survival analysis , and ploidy classification according to AUER was performed in order t o evaluate its prognostic impact for fallopian tube carcinoma. A high number of aneuploid cases were observed (79% aneuploid vs. 21% euploid tumors). The high incidence of aneuploid tumors was consistently obse rved among all FIGO-stages as well as all groups of histologic grading . There was no correlation between ploidy and FIGO-stage or histologic grading. Patients with euploid DNA content showed a median survival o f 34 months compared to 24 months for aneuploid cases (log-rank, P = 0 .83). No correlation between the AUER classification and FIGO-stage or histologic grading could be observed. Tumors with an AUER type I and II (75th quantile 41 months) showed a better outcome than tumors with AUER III and IV (75th quantile 19 months). Although these results did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.07), a trend could be observ ed. Therefore, AUER classification may be useful as an objective progn ostic parameter. The high incidence of aneuploid tumors could be an ex pression of the high biologic aggressiveness of primary fallopian tube cancer which has been repeatedly mentioned in the past.