6th ESACP Congress, Heidelberg, April 7-11, 1999

A094
DNA PLOIDY ANALYSIS OF ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMA. COMPARISON OF FLOW CYTOMETRY AND IMAGE CYTOMETRY ON FRESH/FROZEN TISSUE.
Lindén Th *, Akerman M *, Baldetorp B +, Ingvaldson L *, Fernö M +

* Department of Pathology/Cytology, University Hospital, Lund, + Department of Oncology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden.

Objective: To compare DNA ploidy in fresh/frozen samples of endometrial carcinoma assessed by flow cytometry (FCM) and image cytometry (ICM). Study design: In samples from 154 tumours the DNA ploidy (diploid, nondiploid) content was determined by quantitative analysis of nuclear DNA content. Tissue suspension from the frozen samples were used for FCM and imprint preparations were used for ICM and to ensure the presence of preserved tumour cells. The ploidy in the FCM and ICM histograms was based on number of stemlines. Furthermore the ICM histograms were also interpreted according to the Auer classification used for breast carcinoma. Results: 117 samples were FCM diploid, of these ICM showed diploidy in 89 (76%) and nondiploid in 28 (24%). 37 samples were FCM nondiploid, all 37 were also nondiploidy by ICM (100%). The comparision between the FCM data and the Auer classification is tabulated

FCM
Diploid
FCM
Nondiploid
Auer 1 49 0
Auer 2 19 0
Auer 3 41 4
Auer 4 9 33
Total 117 37

Conclusion: There was a good agreement between the FCM an ICM nondiploid cases. However, 24% of FCM diploid tumours were nondiploid in ICM. In assessment of DNA ploidy status in endometrial carcinoma and ICM should be combined to avoid false diploid FCM histograms. Evaluation according to the Auer classification was not more informative than the determination of the number of stemlines.