TUMOR-CELL CYCLE IN PATIENTS WITH STAGE-I ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA

Flow cytometric cell cycle analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded blocks from 49 patients with stage I endometrial carcinoma. Care was taken to separate tumor tissue from normal tissue in each specimen; no rmal tissue was used as a control for each individual specimen. DNA in dex, proliferative activity, and cell DNA aneuploidy were correlated w ith known parameters of tumor malignancy. Increased DNA index correspo nded well with the DNA aneuploid tumors, poor tumor differentiation (G 3), myometrial invasion of more than one-third, more malignant histolo gic type of tumor, and low concentration of estrogen (less-than-or-equ al-to 10 fmole/mg) and progesterone (less-than-or-equal-to 25 fmole/mg ) receptors. Similar results were obtained for tumor cell proliferativ e activity (percentage of cells in S + G2/M phases) and for DNA aneupl oid tumors. Since more than 90% of patients with stage I endometrial c arcinoma survived the 5-year postoperation period, analyzed parameters could not be checked for survival-related prognostic significance. Ho wever, our data indicate that cell cycle analysis may be instrumental for objective ranking of several known prognostic parameters. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.