Evaluation of DNA nuclear pattern as a prognostic determinant in resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

From a cohort of 72 patients who underwent radical resection for ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas between 1951 and 1980, 62 paraffin-embedded specimens were analyzed by flow cytometry. Patients were divided into two groups according to the length of survival: long-term survivors (19 patients who survived 3 or more years after operation) and short-term survivors (43 patients who died within 12 months after resection). In 30 specimens (48%), the nuclear DNA pattern was diploid, whereas 32 were nondiploid (two tetraploid and 30 aneuploid). There were no significant differences in the number of diploid/nondiploid patterns, the fraction of cells in DNA synthetic (S) phase, or the DNA index between the two groups. These data suggest that there is no difference in the DNA content analysis of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma when comparing long-term with short-term survivors following resection.