DNA ploidy status: its impact on early-stage endometrial adenocarcinoma

DNA ploidy status, as determined by flow cytometry, has been useful in predicting survival in certain malignancies. Between January 1975 and January 1985, 85 cases that met the inclusion criteria-pathologic stage I endometrial adenocarcinomas, primary surgical therapy, endometrioid cell type, and adequate paraffin-block samples-were analyzed by DNA flow cytometry. Depth of myometrial invasion, tumor grade, and presence of lymphatic vascular space invasion were established in all cases. Ten of the 85 tumors (12%) were aneuploid. The median follow-up was 9 years with a range of 2 to 16 years. There were 9 recurrences with 5 deaths from cancer, and 8 patients died of intercurrent disease. The relative hazards for recurrence associated with aneuploidy, S-phase fraction, grade 3 histology, and any myometrial invasion were 3.1, 3.18, 3.2, and 4.9, respectively, but did not reach statistical significance. Because of the low recurrence and mortality rate in this homogeneous group, a larger sample will be necessary to fully establish a role for DNA ploidy status in identifying a poor prognostic subset.