ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMAS - FLOW CYTOMETRIC DNA CONTENT AND S-PHASE VALUES

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the DNA content and S-phase value in a large material of fresh tumour tissue from endometr ial carcinomas and to correlate these parameters to tumour type, grade of differentiation, depth of myometrial invasion and stage. The prosp ective study consisted of 290 unselected cases of endometrial carcinom as, FIGO stage I-IV where flow cytometry was performed on fresh tumour tissue blocks from hysterectomy specimens, 223 cases had more than 10 % tumour tissue in tissue blocks taken adjacent to the blocks for flow cytometry. Non-diploidy was defined as 0.9 greater than or equal to D NA index > 1.10 and high S-phase value was defined as > 15%. Non-diplo idy was found in 46% of the endometrioid adenocarcinoma and in 85% of the non-endometrioid carcinomas (clear cell adenocarcinoma, serous ade nocarcinoma and malignant mixed mesodermal tumour) (p < 0.001). S-phas e value was > 15% in 39% of the endometrioid adenocarcinoma and in 100 % of the non-endometrioid carcinomas (p < 0.0001). In endometrioid ade nocarcinoma there was a statistical significant relation between non-d iploidy and grade of histological differentiation (p < 0.006), as well as with depth of myometrial invasion (p < 0.05). There was no relatio n between non-diploidy and the presence of squamous differentiation, w hether benign or malignant or to FIGO stage. High S-phase values (> 15 %) was related to the grade of differentiation (p < 0.002). No relatio n was demonstrated between S-phase > 15% and squamous differentiation, depth of myometrial invasion or FIGO stage. In conclusion, 50% of all the endometrial carcinomas were non-diploid and 43% had S-phase value > 15%. Ploidy correlated with histologic tumour types, grade of diffe rentiation and depth on myometrial invasion while S-phase values only correlated with histologic tumour types and grade of differentiation.