Flow cytometric determinations of ploidy and proliferation patterns of adrenal neoplasms: an adjunct to histological classification.

Flow cytometric deoxyribonucleic acid measurements were performed with propidium iodide on 7 adrenal neoplasms and 4 normal adrenal glands to determine how useful this technique would be in defining malignancy. The 4 cases classified histologically as carcinoma all had aneuploid stemlines of 2.7, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.6c respectively, whereas the 4 normal glands and an aldosteronoma had only a small percentage (less than 10 per cent) of hyperdiploid cells (greater than 2c) at the tetraploid level (4c). A pheochromocytoma and benign adenoma had significant tetraploid populations of 30 and 18 per cent, respectively, with no evidence of aneuploid cells. Flow cytometry determination of deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy values is an accurate, objective, quantitative mean to identify adrenal malignancy and should have a role in the pathological evaluation of adrenal neoplasms.