DNA analysis by flow cytometry in nonsmall cell lung cancer: relationship to epidermal growth factor receptor, histology, tumour stage and survival.

In a retrospective study, surgical specimens of 136 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer, were investigated for DNA content by flow cytometry. Seventy per cent of all tumours were aneuploid. Aneuploidy was a statistically significant factor for shorter survival and was independent of tumour size, histology, grade of differentiation, regional lymph node involvement, age and sex (P less than 0.02). A high proliferation index (greater than 7.5%) was also a prognostically unfavourable factor and was observed significantly more often in tumours where the majority of cells expressed epidermal growth factor receptor.