Sensitive three-parameter flow-cytometric detection of abnormal cells in human cervical cancers: a pilot study.

The cell volume, the DNA, and the carcino-embryonic (CEA) or epithelial-membrane (EMA) antigen of formaldehyde-fixed human cervical cells from 21 malignant cervix tumors and 11 normal patients were measured simultaneously with a Fluvo-Metricell flow cytometer. The simultaneous cell volume and DNA measurement provided the distinction of morphologically intact cells from cell debris, the determination of the cell cycle phase combined with the detection of aneuploid cells, and the distinct of inflammatory cells from parenchymal and tumor cells. Malignant samples were recognized because they contained more than 0.5% CEA positive cells which were of intermediate size. CEA and EMA expression in the malignant samples was not linked. The false positive rate in a total of 32 samples was 6.3% when the sum of CEA and EMA positive cells of each cell sample was calculated. No false negative malignant sample was observed.