Tumor DNA content in gallbladder carcinoma

An abnormal DNA content has been associated with an unfavorable prognosis in a variety of cancers. In this study, tumor DNA content was measured in patients with gallbladder carcinoma in order to determine whether DNA ploidy pattern was a prognostic indicator. Thirty-six patients who had had a gallbladder carcinoma resected with curative intent were analyzed. Aneuploid tumor (20 cases, 56 per cent) was significantly associated with poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (p < 0.05), invasion beyond the muscularis propria (p < 0.01), and a high mitotic index (p < 0.0001). A significant advantage in terms of five-year survival was demonstrated in patients with diploid tumors as compared with those with aneuploid tumors (80 per cent versus 24 per cent, respectively, p < 0.005). Aneuploid tumors invading the subserosal layer had a significantly poorer prognosis than diploid tumors with similar depth of invasion (p < 0.05). However, when tumor invasion had extended beyond the serosa, no significant advantage in survival was found between patients with aneuploid and those with diploid tumors. It is concluded that DNA ploidy pattern is a valuable addition to a staging protocol for gallbladder carcinoma.