Nuclear characterization and G2M ploidy in human brain tumors using semiautomated image analysis.

We used image analysis to study nuclear morphometry and DNA content in relation to time to tumor progression in a series of 88 patients with brain tumors. Clinical follow-up was obtained for 73 patients. The patients with diploid tumors had a longer time to tumor progression than those with triploid, tetraploid, or hypertetraploid tumors. Mean SG2M-DNA indices (DIs) increased significantly with a increase in mean DIs in all tumors. The mean DIs appeared to be dependent on the number of SG2M phase cells. We conclude that tumors with hypertetraploid in G2M ploidy are highly malignant. Those tumor cells have a large nuclear size, much deformity in nuclear shape, and great proliferative potential. The G2M-tetraploid tumors showed a shorter time to tumor progression when the number of SG2M fractions was large. In contrast, the G2M-hypotetraploid tumors showed a longer time to tumor progression in comparison with other tetraploid and hypertetraploid tumors, but the difference was not significant.