Flow cytometric measurement of ploidy and proliferation in effusions of ovarian carcinoma and their possible prognostic significance

Abstract

The cellular DNA pattern of ascites and pleural effusions from 81 patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma was prospectively studied by means of flow cytometric DNA analysis. The degree of ploidy and the proportion of S-phase values were correlated to histological differentiation, to status, and to the development of disease. According to DNA indices, the cell populations distributed in the diploid to peridiploid and in the tri- to tetraploid range. Aneuploidy was more frequently associated with poor degree of differentiation, with progressive disease, and with higher proportion of cells in S phase. Thus, although patients with stable disease had a significantly larger proportion of tumors with diploid DNA content, all except four patients were dead within a median survival period of 12 months. No correlation was observed between total survival period and ploidy; however a significantly shorter survival time was noted in patients whose ascites comprised cell populations with S-phase values exceeding 15%.