PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF PERIODIC ACID-SCHIFF (PAS) STAINING OF FINE-NEEDLE ASPIRATES FROM PATIENTS WITH PRIMARY HEPATOCELLULAR-CARCINOMA

The relationships of cytological findings on periodic acid-Schiff (PAS ) staining of fine-needle aspirates of hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) with the length of survival of patients, their therapeutic response a fter transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE), and the tumor volume d oubling time (TVDT) before chemoembolization were investigated in 74 p atients with primary HCC. On the basis of cytologic findings on PAS-st aining, HCC was classified into PAS-positive, mixed, and PAS-negative types. The two-year survival (70%) of patients with PAS-positive HCC w as significantly longer than those of patients with the mixed or PAS-n egative type of HCC. The TVDT of PAS-positive HCC was also significant ly longer than that of the mixed type of HCC. These findings indicate that cytological findings on PAS-staining of HCC are useful in assessi ng the prognosis of patients with HCC.