Ploidy analysis of epithelial ovarian cancers using image cytometry

We used a computerized image analysis system to determine the DNA content of 103 epithelial ovarian cancers using touch imprints of frozen tumor samples. Similar to prior studies of ploidy using flow cytometry, we found that most ovarian cancers (78%) were aneuploid while a minority (22%) were diploid. There was no relationship between ploidy and stage, histologic grade, or the ability to perform optimal cytoreductive surgery. Also, like prior studies using flow cytometry, negative second-look laparotomy and survival were somewhat more common in advanced-stage patients with diploid cancers than in those with aneuploid cancers. We conclude that ploidy of ovarian cancers can be determined using a computerized image analysis system to quantitate feulgen staining of cells in touch imprints. Ploidy is unlikely to play a role in treatment planning for patients with advanced-stage disease. Larger studies of patients with early-stage disease are needed, however, to determine whether ploidy is a more accurate means of predicting which patients are most likely to benefit from adjuvant therapy.