The DNA analysis of tumor cells discloses characteristic features from which their biological behavior with respect to both the intensity and regulation of growth can be deduced. The objective of this study was to comparatively assess the results of image cytometry (ICM) and flow cytometry (FCM) in human bone metastases as standard methods of DNA analysis and evaluate their possible importance. The nuclear DNA content of surgically removed tumors of bone tissue was determined using ICM and FCM, and the percentage of tumor cells in various cell cycle phases and ploidy status in each case were determined based on the DNA distribution pattern. Comparable results were determined by ICM and FCM with respect to the ploidy status in about 58% of examined tumor samples. When tissue samples from various regions of a tumor were examined, it was found that DNA-euploid and -aneuploid tumor areas were present within the tumors. The DNA aneuploidy was detected in 90% of these tumors with ICM. The percentage cell-cycle phase distribution varied widely with ICM and FCM. Based on our results, the use of ICM in addition to FCM is mandatory under certain conditions for the assessment of the DNA analysis of bone metastases and necessary for the critical assessment of the obtained findings.

Related Articles