A case of gastric adenocarcinoma with conspicuous binuclear cytologic features

Binuclear cells have been occasionally observed in nonneoplastic and carcinoma cells. However, in clinical cases, few reports have analyzed and discussed the origins and features, including the proliferative capacity, of binuclear cells. We describe the case of a 75-year-old man with gastric cancer with microscopically prominent binuclear cells in the resected tissue and ascitic fluid. Image cytometry and chromosomal analysis were performed on cells isolated from the ascitic fluid. The DNA histogram pattern showed aneuploidy and the fluorescence in situ hybridization pattern of centromeres 7 and 11 was similar to that of most other mononuclear cancer cells. Furthermore, the binuclear cells showed low proliferative capability based on 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation. Our results demonstrated that the binuclear cells were derived from mononuclear aneuploid cells through incomplete cell division, and, in this case, may have impaired proliferative capacity.