COMPARISON BETWEEN FLOW-CYTOMETRY AND IMAGE CYTOMETRY IN PLOIDY DISTRIBUTION ASSESSMENTS IN GYNECOLOGIC CANCER

The DNA content in 37 tumors from 34 women with gynecological cancer w as measured by flow cytometry (FCM) and interactive image cytometry (I CM). Agreement was obtained in 81% of cases as regards ploidy levels, but seven tumors (19%) showed different ploidies. Of these, five were classified as diploid by FCM but either aneuploid (three cases) or pol yploid (two cases) by ICM. Two other tumors were aneuploid by ICM but polyploid (one case) and unclassifiable (one case) by FCM. All tumors classified as aneuploid by FCM were also aneuploid by ICM, and all tum ors classified diploid by ICM were also diploid by FCM. Of six patient s whose tumors were classified as euploid (five diploid and one polypl oid) by FCM but classified as aneuploid by ICM, five relapsed, and thr ee of these have died of disease. On the basis of these findings, it i s concluded that ICM must be performed in cases classified as diploid by FCM to ensure that small subpopulations of aneuploid tumor cells ar e not overlooked.