Touch preparations from 60 cases of T1 adenocarcinoma were analyzed using a high-resolution, automated image cytometer. These cases were divided according to pathologic stage: stage I, 31; stage II, 3; stage III, 19; and stage IV, 7. For each nucleus 57 features were analyzed, and using a linear combination of three texture features describing the DNA distribution in the cell nucleus (TARL, ODMAX and FAREA1), aggressive cancer cells belonging to stage III/IV could be identified. The best discrimination between the stages was achieved when the frequency of aggressive cancer cells was 48%; the correct classification rate was 77%. Using this criterion, 22 of 27 patients (81%) who died of cancer within five years after surgery were correctly predicted. These results suggest that high-resolution cytometry may be of value in predicting the biologic behavior of adenocarcinoma cases, especially in stage I/II.