Flow cytometric analysis of adrenal cortical tumor DNA. Relationship between cellular DNA and histopathologic classification.

Nuclear DNA contents of 22 paraffin-embedded adrenal cortical tumors (16 adenomas and 6 carcinomas) were determined by flow cytometric analysis. While all of the sixteen adenomas had a diploid pattern, 83.3% (5/6) of the carcinomas were aneuploid. Three of the six patients with carcinomas (50%) developed metastases and died of their disease; all had aneuploid tumors. The three living patients with carcinoma included two children, with aneuploid tumors, and one adult, with a diploid tumor. Large tumor size correlated with aneuploidy. This study indicated that flow cytometric analysis of nuclear DNA content complements conventional histopathologic methods in the diagnosis of malignancy in adrenal cortical tumors. It may also prove to be a valuable tool in predicting the prognosis of patients with adrenal cortical carcinomas.