Cytometric analysis of testicular seminoma and spermatocytic seminoma.

DNA analysis of testicular seminoma (typical seminoma [TS] and anaplastic seminoma [AS]) and spermatocytic seminoma (SS) was performed to evaluate the relationship between the proliferative activity and clinical outcome, and also to determine the proliferative characteristics of SS. Nuclear DNA contents of 15 cases of TS, 17 of AS and three of SS were measured by flow cytometry. Cytofluorometric DNA analysis was performed on three cases of every tumor. All 35 cases showed aneuploidy in the flow cytometry. In comparison with TS, AS tended to have a higher percentage of G2M phase in one cell cycle, having more cell cycle numbers and containing cells of various DNA values. Many mitotic figures with larger atypical cells that characterize AS could be explained by these results. In SS, the diploid formation by the small cells and the appearance of large cells with a maximum DNA value of 40C were demonstrated. These ploidy characteristics were considered to result in the morphological expression of large, small and intermediate cells. The application of both flow cytometry and cytofluorometry to the same cases was beneficial.