Flow cytometry as a tool for the prognostic assessment of patients with lung and ovarian carcinomas

In two cooperative studies surgical specimens of 187 tumors of patients with non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and 37 tumors of patients with ovarian carcinomas (OC) were investigated by means of flow cytometry (ICP-22). From NSCLC30 cases were classified as tumors with DNA diploidy, 119 as tumors with DNA aneuploidy containing one abnormal DNA stemline, and 38 as tumors with DNA aneuploidy containing more than one abnormal DNA stemline. Seven tumors of patients with OC were classified as tumors with DNA diploidy, and 31 as tumors with DNA aneuploidy (three cases had more than one abnormal DNA stemline). The DNA index values of NSCLC range from 0.7 to 4.5 and the values of OC from 0.8 to 2.7 (DNA diploid = 1). A relationship between DNA content and distribution of the cell cycle phases was observed. The results of DNA content analysis have prognostic importance with regard to the length of survival time. Patients with aneuploid and high proliferative tumors had shorter survival times than did those with diploid or near diploid tumors and tumors with low proliferative activity.