[Changes in nuclear DNA content in nasopharyngeal epithelium]

The nuclear DNA content was measured by flow cytometry (FCM) in 167 specimens with normal nasopharyngeal epithelium, paracarcinoma tissue and nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Thirty eight (38%) of 101 NPC, seven (58%) of 12 recurrent and six (30%) of 20 paracarcinoma tissues were nondiploid. There was no nondiploid at all in 20 specimens of normal nasopharyngeal epithelium. Two of six patients with VCA-IGA(+) were nondiploid. Cellular proliferation index (PI) of NPC was increased significantly as compared with that of the normal epithelium (P < 0.01). However there was no marked difference in PI. between NPC and paracarcinoma tissues. The rate of cervical metastasis in nondiploid NPC was significantly higher than that in diploid NPC (P < 0.025). But there was no correlation of DNA content between the stage of the tumor and the titer of VCA-IGA. These data show that FCM may prove useful in the diagnosis and predication of prognosis in NPC.