Blood group antigens in relation to DNA content, S-phase rate and heterogeneity, and their prognostic values in cervical carcinoma.

Evaluations were made of the expression of blood group antigens, DNA content and S-phase rate in a prospective study of 97 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. No correlation was found between loss of ABH expression and ploidy level or the degree of proliferation, whereas correlations were found to age and stage. In 11 (42%) of 26 tumors with two or three detectable stemlines, distinct areas with disparate ABH staining patterns were found, indicating genotypic and phenotypic heterogeneity within these tumors. In tumors with one stemline significantly fewer such tumors were found (p less than 0.01). Twenty-four early recurrences (within 20-36 months) after treatment were found. High S-phase rates (greater than 20%) were associated with a significantly increased recurrence rate (p less than 0.05). Loss of ABH antigen expression or ploidy level were not statistically correlated to early recurrences.