The Prospective Study on the Role of Tissue Flow Cytometry in the Superficial Bladder Tumor

Hong, Jun Hyuk; Cho, Seung Phil; Kim, Choung Soo; Ahn, Han Jong; Ahn, Tai Young

Abstract

In 69 patients with primary superficial bladder tumor, the DNA flow cytometric analyses with fresh bladder specimen were performed prospectively to investigate the correlation between the DNA ploidy and the tumor recurrence or progression. And we compared it with the histologic parameters such as tumor stage or grade to assess its role as a prognostic indicator. Of the total 69 patients, 28 patients showed aneuploidy patterns, of whom 6 patients in grade 1, 15 patients in grade 2, and 7 patients in grade 3. Mean follow-up was 25.1 months and mean annual recurrence rate was estimated to assess the tumor recurrence. There was significant difference in mean annual recurrence rate between grade 2 and 3 (0.40 and 1.09) but no difference between grade 1 and 2, and stage Ta and T1. Mean ann-ual recurrence rate was 0.89 with aneuploid tumors and 0.29 with diploid tumors (p<0.05 ). And especially in patients with grade 2 tumors which have been known as unpredictable group by classic histologic prognosticator, mean annual recurrence rate was 0.88 with aneuploidy and 0.24 with diploidy. Among 55 patients on follow-up, 6 (10.9% ) have progressed to invasive tumors, of whom two were with T1 grade 2 and four were with T1 grade 3. All but one of them showed aneuploidy on flow cytometry. These results indicated that DNA ploidy using fresh bladder specimen can be used as an effective adjuvant to histologic examination for the prognostication and decision-making in the treatment of superficial bladder tumor patients.