Nucleolar organizer regions in tongue carcinomas induced in rats: comparison with DNA cytofluorometric analysis

DNA ploidy analysis performed prospectively using fresh tumor samples in early glottic carcinoma treated with radiotherapy

PURPOSE

The correlation between the DNA content, determined using fresh tumor tissues, and the macroscopic presentation of the lesion was studied prospectively in patients with T1 glottic carcinoma.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

DNA flow cytometry and fiber-optic endoscopic examination were performed for 30 previously untreated patients with T1 glottic carcinoma. The patients received radical radiotherapy at Aichi Cancer Center Hospital.

RESULTS

In regard to the type of lesion, 4 (80%) were aneuploid, and 1 (20%) was diploid for the invasive type. There was a tendency to show an invasive appearance in aneuploid tumors. With respect to clinical outcome, there were 3 (43%) local recurrences among the aneuploid tumors that invaded the entire length of one vocal cord, 0 (0%) for medium-sized lesions, and 1 (17%) for small lesions. Aneuploid tumors showed a high correlation between lesion size and local control.

CONCLUSIONS

The correlation was not strong enough to conclude that DNA content can replace the macroscopic presentation of the lesion. However, the combination of DNA content and tumor size may help predict radiation sensitivity.

Nucleolar organizer regions in glottic carcinomas: comparison of DNA cytofluorometry and clinicopathological analysis

The significance of nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) and nuclear DNA content in 73 glottic carcinomas was assessed for proliferative activity and tumor progression. NORs stained with silver colloid were counted, and nuclear DNA content was assayed by cytofluorometry. The cytofluorometric study demonstrated that the percentage of tumors with aneuploidy tended to increase as histological differentiation decreased. Survival rates of patients with diploid and aneuploid tumors were not significantly different. AgNOR staining revealed that mean AgNOR numbers rose as histological differentiation of tumors decreased. Moreover, as T and N categories and stages showed advancing malignancy, mean AgNOR numbers tended to rise. However, there was no significant difference in survival rates between tumors with low and with high AgNOR counts. These studies indicate that while AgNOR staining is better than DNA cytofluorometry for determining histological differentiation of glottic carcinoma, neither is of prognostic value at the present time.