PROSPECTIVE FLOW CYTOMETRIC DNA ANALYSIS OF HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA SPECIMENS COLLECTED BY ULTRASOUND-GUIDED FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATION

Background. The survival of 52 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seen during the last 4 years was analyzed prospectively on the b asis of disease stage and nuclear DNA content. Methods. Ploidy was mea sured by flow cytometry (FCM). Cells for cytologic diagnosis and FCM w ere collected by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration. Results. DN A aneuploidy, which was detected in 62% of the patients, did not corre late with clinicopathologic features, except in the sonographic aspect (P = 0.03). However, ploidy correlated significantly with survival; t he survival times for patients with an aneuploid DNA index were signif icantly shorter than for those with a diploid index (P = 0.02). In a C ox multivariate analysis, DNA content was prognostically significant, as were the grade of cirrhosis severity and the echographic aspect. Co nclusions. In addition to the clinicopathologic features observed, FCM DNA analysis of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates from HCC is a simple and valid method for estimating a prognosis of these patients.