[A quantitative study on DNA content of salivary gland carcinomas by image analysis technique]

DNA content was quantitatively determined in 30 cases of salivary gland carcinoma (SGC) by image analysis technique using paraffin-embedded sections stained with Feulgen method. The results showed that the nuclear DNA content was related to the malignancy of SGC, based on the clinical and morphological criteria such as tumor size, mobility, property of growth, mitotic rate, degree of differentiation and the histological type of the tumor. The number of nuclei above 5 C DNA, expressing aneuploidy, seems to be of more prognostic significance. Aneuploidy greater than 10% may be indicative of a poor prognosis for SGC. Thus, it is suggested that the quantitative analysis of DNA content may be able to provide an objective and quantitative reference for evaluating the prognosis of SGC.