Flow cytometric DNA analysis of gastric cancer that is invading the muscularis propria.

OBJECTIVE

To find out if there is any correlation between the DNA aneuploidy in gastric cancer that is invading the muscularis propria and survival.

DESIGN

Retrospective study.

SETTING

Teaching hospital, Japan.

SUBJECTS

52 patients who underwent gastric resection for gastric cancer that was invading the muscularis propria, and for whom clinical follow-up data were available.

INTERVENTIONS

Flow cytometric measurement of DNA in paraffin-embedded tissue.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Correlation between survival and clinicopathological variables including ploidy.

RESULTS

22 (42%) of the cases were aneuploid and 30 (58%) were diploid. The lymph node status and DNA ploidy were the significant prognostic variables, but a multivariate analysis showed that only DNA ploidy was significant.

CONCLUSIONS

Nuclear DNA ploidy is an independent prognostic factor in gastric cancer that is invading the muscularis propria.