ENDOMETRIAL CARCINOMAS : FLOW CYTOMETRIC DNA CONTENT AND S-PHASE VALUES

: The purpose of the investigation was to determine the DNA content and S-phase value in a large material of fresh tumour tissue from endometrial carcinomas and to correlate these parameters to tumour type, grade of differentiation, depth of myometrial invasion and stage. The prospective study consisted of 290 unselected cases of endometrial carcinomas, FIGO stage I-IV where flow cytometry was performed on fresh tumour tissue blocks from hysterectomy specimens. 223 cases had more than 10% tumour tissue in tissue blocks taken adjacent to the blocks for flow cytometry. Non-diploidy was defined as 0.9 > or = DNA index > 1.10 and high S-phase value was defined as > 15%. Non-diploidy was found in 46% of the endometrioid adenocarcinoma and in 85% of the non-endometrioid carcinomas (clear cell adenocarcinoma, serous adenocarcinoma and malignant mixed mesodermal tumour) (p 15% in 39% of the endometrioid adenocarcinoma and in 100% of the non-endometrioid carcinomas (p 15%) was related to the grade of differentiation (p 15% and squamous differentiation, depth of myometrial invasion or FIGO stage. In conclusion, 50% of all the endometrial carcinomas were non-diploid and 43% had S-phase value > 15%. Ploidy correlated with histologic tumour types, grade of differentiation and depth on myometrial invasion while S-phase values only correlated with histologic tumour types and grade of differentiation.