[Diagnosis of endometrial cancer by DNA cytophotometry]

Cytophotometric determination of nuclear DNA content was performed in 121 cases by examining endometrial preparations. The endometrial cells were obtained by means of a MiMark cell sampler before curetting. A variety of groups (normal endometrium, adenomatous hyperplasia, endometrial carcinoma) were compared with each other and examined under statistical conditions. The differences were statistically significant according to the 3rd quartile (75% of DNA-population in a histogram) between the group of secretory transformed and atrophic endometrium and the group of well and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. Determination of the median and deviation index of the DNA population yielded similar results. The group of adenomatous hyperplasia did not differ from the normal endometrium according to all statistical parameters. Obviously it is impossible to distinguish precancerous endometrium from normal endometrium by cytophotometry. Differences between proliferative endometrium and well differentiated adenocarcinoma were seen in individual cases only. On the other hand, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma could obviously be differentiated and delimitated.