DNA ploidy in gastric cancer with metastasis to the liver.

DNA ploidy, assessed microspectrophotometrically in 143 gastric carcinomas, was correlated with the presence or absence of venous invasion and liver metastasis. Patterns of DNA distribution were grouped into cases of low and high ploidy. The incidence of high ploidy was 61.4% in gastric cancers with venous invasion, being statistically different from the incidence of 31.4% in cases without venous invasion (P less than 0.05). Furthermore, there was a statistical difference between the incidence of high ploidy in gastric cancers associated with liver metastasis and the incidence of high ploidy in advanced cancers that had been curatively resected and had not recurred for more than 5 years after operation (P less than 0.05). These findings indicate a close correlation between DNA ploidy, venous invasion, and liver metastasis, and they suggest the significant clinical value of DNA analysis for the prediction of liver metastasis in patients with gastric carcinoma.