Background: The survival of 52 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) seen during the last 4 years was analyzed prospectively on the basis of disease stage and nuclear DNA content.
Methods: Ploidy was measured by flow cytometry (FCM). Cells for cytologic diagnosis and FCM were collected by ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration.
Results: DNA aneuploidy, which was detected in 62% of the patients, did not correlate with clinicopathologic features, except in the sonographic aspect (P = 0.03). However, ploidy correlated significantly with survival; the survival times for patients with an aneuploid DNA index were significantly shorter than for those with a diploid index (P = 0.02). In a Cox multivariate analysis, DNA content was prognostically significant, as were the grade of cirrhosis severity and the echographic aspect.
Conclusions: In addition to the clinicopathologic features observed, FCM DNA analysis of ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirates from HCC is a simple and valid method for estimating a prognosis of these patients.