Flow cytometry of deparaffinized nuclei compared to histological grading for the pathological evaluation of transitional cell carcinomas.

Recent developments in flow cytometric analyses have resulted in a practical method to examine the deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy of various tissues, including bladder cancers. Although the technique provides information not readily available from usual pathological examinations, its value as a diagnostic test in clinical urology remains to be investigated. We confirm previous reports that flow cytometry can be performed on tissues stored in paraffin and demonstrate a positive correlation among deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy, histological grade and clinical outcome in patients with transitional cell carcinoma. Nevertheless, deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy offered no more prognostic information than histological grading alone when these tests were performed on the initial bladder tumors in 63 patients.