Flow cytometric analysis of nuclear DNA content of renal cell carcinoma correlated with histologic and clinical features.

Abstract

The prognostic value of flow cytometric analysis of DNA content is contradictory in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Flow cytometric analysis was performed on 72 patients with RCC, and the relationship between the DNA content and pathologic or clinical features was investigated. Aneuploidy was observed in 36 (50%) of these patients. Two tissue samples from primary tumors of 12 patients were analyzed, and heterogeneity was found in 7 (58%) of these patients. The incidence of aneuploidy was significantly higher in high-grade than in low-grade tumors (P = 0.0328). All five tumors with a maximum diameter of 2.5 cm or smaller (T1N0M0) were diploid, and a trend for more aneuploid tumors among high-stage diseases was observed. The survival rate of patients with diploid tumors was not significantly different from that of those with aneuploid tumors in the low- or high-stage group. DNA ploidy assessed with one sample is not a prognostic factor, and heterogeneity between different samples of a given tumor indicates that one sample is not enough for DNA flow cytometry in RCC.