Korean J Otolaryngol-Head Neck Surg.  2001 Jul;44(7):744-747.

The Prognostic Value of DNA Flow Cytometry in Patients with Early Primary Oral Cavity and Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

• Kim MG
• Nam SY
• Yoo SJ
• Chung JG
• Kim SY

Abstract

BACKGROUNDS AND OBJECTIVE: It has been known that tumor size, regional neck metastasis state and tumor thickness are the prognostic factors of oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer. Additionally, DNA flow cytometry has also been reported to be one of the pronosic factors. We would like to evaluate the prognostic value of DNA flow cytometry in early oral cavity or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We analyzed the relation between tumor thickness or neck metastasis and survival rate in 59 patients with early oral cavity or oropharyngeal cancer. Among those patients, DNA flow cytometry was performed in 28 cases and the prognostic value of the parameters of DNA flow cytometry was analyzed.
RESULTS
Overall, a 2-year survival rate of the patients was 90.1%. Neither tumor thickness nor neck metastasis state was related to the overall survival rate. Tumor thickness was not related to neck metastasis state, either. Of the parameters of the DNA flow cytometry, only the S phase fraction of aneuploidy was related to the overall survival rate (p=0.0288). Also the total proportion of aneuploidy was weakly related to the state of neck metastasis (p=0.0518).
CONCLUSION
These results indicate that DNA flow cytometry can be used as a good complementary factor for predicting the overall survival or neck metastasis in patients with early primary oral cavity or oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

Keyword

DNA flow cytometry Oral cavity cancer Oropharyngeal cancer Prognostic factor

MeSH Terms

Aneuploidy
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell*
DNA*
Flow Cytometry*
Humans
Mouth*
Neck
Neoplasm Metastasis
Oropharyngeal Neoplasms
S Phase
Survival Rate
DNA