Flow cytometric DNA analysis of abnormal endometrium.

Samples of abnormal endometrium, which were composed of 5 cases of atypical hyperplasia (ATH), 12 cases of well differentiated adenocarcinoma (G1), 17 cases of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (G2), 11 cases of poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma (G3) and 2 cases of serous papillary adenocarcinoma (SPA), were analyzed by flow cytometry. With respect to the ploidy level, all cases of both ATH and G1 showed diploidy, and the proliferative index (PI) was 14.32 and 16.33, respectively. In contrast, 3 of G2 cases, 3 of G3 cases and all of SPA cases showed aneuploid patterns, and the PI was 21.06, 27.91 and 31.52, respectively. There were statistical differences between the former group and the latter group as to both the ploidy and the PI. It was found that ATH and G1 had similar biological behavior.