A J Herzberg1. 1. Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: With increasing numbers of studies examining tumor DNA content in many organ systems, accumulating evidence indicates that DNA ploidy analysis may be useful in diagnosis and determination of prognosis. OBSERVATIONS: A review of DNA ploidy studies of cutaneous lesions within the last decade reveals that DNA ploidy may aid in the diagnosis of some lesions. Several studies show an association of DNA ploidy with prognosis. In general, tumors with a diploid DNA content have a less aggressive course than aneuploid tumors. CONCLUSIONS: DNA ploidy cannot yet reliably predict the outcome of an individual patient. This is partially due to differences in methods of specimen preparation, instrumentation, and interpretation of data.
BACKGROUND: With increasing numbers of studies examining tumor DNA content in many organ systems, accumulating evidence indicates that DNA ploidy analysis may be useful in diagnosis and determination of prognosis. OBSERVATIONS: A review of DNA ploidy studies of cutaneous lesions within the last decade reveals that DNA ploidy may aid in the diagnosis of some lesions. Several studies show an association of DNA ploidy with prognosis. In general, tumors with a diploid DNA content have a less aggressive course than aneuploid tumors. CONCLUSIONS: DNA ploidy cannot yet reliably predict the outcome of an individual patient. This is partially due to differences in methods of specimen preparation, instrumentation, and interpretation of data.