DNA-PLOIDY IN HUMAN COLORECTAL ADENOCARCINOMAS

Image cytometric determination of DNA content was performed on 207 col orectal adenocarcinomas surgically resected from 205 patients. Of thes e 207 tumors, 193 (93.2%) showed an aneuploid DNA distribution pattern , whereas the remaining 14 (6.8%) exhibited a DNA pattern correspondin g to that found in proliferating diploid populations. The DNA content of 20 of these colorectal carcinomas was also studied by flow cytometr ic measurements on deparaffinized, disintegrated material. Flow cytome tric measurement detected aneuploidy in only 9 of these 20 (45%) tumor s, whereas 17 of the same 20 (85%) carcinomas showed aneuploidy when u sing image cytometric measurement on imprints. These results suggest t hat colorectal carcinomas are either aneuploid (vast majority) or prol iferating diploid and that image cytometric DNA measurement on histolo gically controlled material is superior to flow cytometric measurement .