A comparative study of DNA quantitation in breast carcinoma with image cytometric analysis and in vitro fine-needle aspiration with flow cytometric analysis

The DNA ploidy status of 53 fresh primary breast carcinomas was analyzed in a comparative study of flow cytometric (FCM) and image cytometric (ICM) analyses. Samples for FCM analysis were obtained with an in vitro fine-needle aspiration technique. Touch imprints from the same tumors were analyzed by three independent observers by ICM analysis. An ICM comparative study of "sequential" and "visually selected" nuclei also was performed. There was an overall concordance of 0.85 in the classification of diploid and nondiploid tumors by FCM and ICM analyses. In most discordant cases, a nondiploid population was identified by FCM analysis alone. This is attributed to the superior resolution of and sampling/preparatory method used for FCM analysis. There was an overall concordance of 0.91 in the classification of diploid and nondiploid tumors by ICM analysis. Selective analysis of atypical nuclei resulted in increased sensitivity in the detection of DNA aneuploid populations by ICM analysis.