DNA-CYTOPHOTOMETRY OF SOFT-TISSUE TUMORS - A COMPARISON OF IMAGE CYTOPHOTOMETRIC AND FLOW CYTOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS ON PARAFFIN-EMBEDDED TUMORS

Using nuclear suspensions, the DNA content of 25 paraffin-embedded soft-tissue tumors of different types was examined retrospectively by means of flow cytometry (FCM) and a comparison was made with the results of image cytometric measurements (ICM). Compared were just the stem lines and the DNA-indices of the tumors. It is the aim of each method to give a new criterium of grading to the pathologist to determinate the dignity of a neoplasia. In case of the benign tumors a concordance of 100% of both methods was found, which showed diploid characteristics in all cases. Regarding the malignant tumors, 86% measured by image cytometry were aneuploid (sensitivity=86%, specifity=100%), using flow cytometry only 33% of the tumors were found to be aneuploid (sensitivity=33%, specifity=100%). Thus the two methods showed a concordance of 56%. The so obtained DNA-indices did not correlate (r=-0.4541). It was also tried to find the reasons for these discrepancies.