Prognostic value of the flow cytometric DNA index in human ovarian carcinoma

Flow cytometric measurements were done on 51 ovarian carcinoma specimens collected from consecutive patients in a prospective study. The ploidy status was related to the course of the disease. The tumors from 26 (52%) of 50 evaluable patients had DNA aneuploidy. Patients with diploid tumors were more often considered disease-free after initial operation (P less than 0.01). Patients with aneuploid tumors had a more aggressive course of the disease in all respects of comparison. The median survival of patients with diploid tumors was 18 months as compared to 8 months for those with aneuploid tumors (P less than 0.0005). Flow cytometric DNA measurements give important prognostic information and such analyses should be included in future clinical trials. Through the development of high-speed instrumentation they also may become feasible in routine clinical work.