Background: Using fresh surgical specimens of brain tumors to investigate cellular DNA content is uncommon. The aim of this study is to elucidate the relationship among cellular nuclear DNA content, tumor histology, and tumor clinical behavior of various tumors of the central nervous system.
Methods: Multiparameter flow cytometry (FACStar, Becton-Dickinson, San Jose, CA) was randomly applied to analyze 40 fresh surgical specimens from brain tumors. Histologically, there were 19 cases of benign tumors and 21 cases of malignant tumors.
Results: DNA distribution profiles in the benign tumors revealed 15 cases of diploidy and four cases of aneuploidy, while the malignant tumors had eight cases of diploidy and 13 cases of aneuploidy (p < 0.01). The mean DNA index (DI) in benign tumors was 1.13 +/- 0.27 and in malignant tumors 1.43 +/- 0.48 (p < 0.05). The mean proliferative index (PI) in benign tumors was 10.27 +/- 5.46% and 18.44 +/- 8.98% in malignant tumors (p < 0.05). Clinically, 10 patients had postoperative recurrence. The PI in recurrent and nonrecurrent tumors was 17.83 +/- 11.13% and 13.20 +/- 7.19%, respectively (p < 0.05). The 1-year cumulative survival rate in benign tumors was 78.9%, and 57.1% in malignant tumors (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Malignant tumors had a significantly higher incidence of aneuploid DNA histograms, a higher DNA index, and a higher proliferative index. Tumors with a high PI had a higher incidence of recurrence and a lower survival rate. Multiparameter DNA analysis by flow cytometry provides a valuable diagnostic aid for the histopathologic differentiation of human brain tumors.