Klin Onkol 1994; 7(6): 166-174.
Summary:Methodological and prognostic aspects of DNA flow cytometry in bronchogenic carcinomas. DNA flow cytometric analyses of 65 tissue samples of 40 resectable bronchogenic carcinomas and 239 bronchoscopic biopsies were performed together with morphological correlation to determine the methodological criteria for such studies. Several samples of spinocellular carcinomas have to be analysed in any case due to vast intratumoral heterogeneity of these tumors. On the other hand the small-cell carcinomas, carcinoids and even adenocarcinomas are almost homogenous in this respect. A special attention for the clinical interpretations needs to be paid to the minority of low-proliferation diploid small-cell carcinomas, the degree of nucleasr pleomorphism and heterogenity of DNA content in spinocellular carcinomas, the subgroup of high-proliferation tetraploid adenokarcinomas and the multiploid DNA pattern of poorly differentiated carcinomas. These finding might be used for clinical correlations analysing the DNA profile of bronchogenic carcinomas and their different responsivity to therapy raather than the general prognostic impact. DNA profile has to be always described in context with morphology and intratumoral heterogenity of each individual case. DNA flow cytometric analyses from bronchoscopic biopsies are less feasible.
