Malignant potential of aneuploid pancreatic endocrine tumours

Evaluation of the malignant potential of pancreatic endocrine tumours is difficult by histological criteria alone. Nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) cytometric analysis can provide significant prognostic and biological information in a number of solid human tumours. Thus, the DNA profiles and nuclear parameters of 39 patients with pancreatic endocrine tumours diagnosed from 1969 to 1989 were studied, using computerized video image analysis. Of the 39 patients with tumours, 27 cases did not have evidence of metastatic disease at the time of investigation. The majority of these (N = 21) showed a diploid profile. Five were aneuploid and one was tetraploid. In the 12 tumours that proved malignant, three had tissue of both primary tumour and the metastases analysed; six had material only from the primary tumour, although metastatic disease was established clinically; and another three only had tissue from the secondary tumour studied. The majority of the malignant cases were aneuploid (N = 7); three were diploid; one showed a diploid primary but an aneuploid secondary, and one showed a hyperdiploid pattern. The percentage of nuclei with a DNA content greater than 5N (5CER) did not seem to contribute further to the assessment nor did the means of the nuclear areas and shape factors. It appears that ploidy studies may be useful in predicting malignant potential of pancreatic endocrine tumours. There is a high rate of immunostaining for insulin by benign pancreatic endocrine tumours and this may be a useful adjunct to distinguish them from their malignant counterparts. However, there is no statistically significant correlation between the expression of various hormones and the DNA ploidy of tumour cells.