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. 1998 Dec;82(12):1433–1437. doi: 10.1136/bjo.82.12.1433

DNA ploidy pattern in choroidal melanoma: correlation with survival. A flow cytometry study on archival material

P Toti 1, G Greco 1, P Mangiavacchi 1, A Bruni 1, M L Palmeri 1, P Luzi 1
PMCID: PMC1722442  PMID: 9930278

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS—Paraffin embedded samples have provided an important source of material for retrospective cytofluorimetric studies, useful in establishing the predictive value of DNA content measurements. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence and type of aneuploidy in choroidal malignant melanomas (CMM) and the significance in the clinical outcome (median follow up 55 months).
METHODS—DNA content was quantified by flow cytometry in 61 CMM from archival material. Non-tumour ocular tissue was used as the reference diploid standard. Cases in which the coefficient of variation (CV) of the diploid peak was >8% were excluded. The CMM were classified as spindle A, spindle B, mixed spindle and epithelioid, epithelioid, and necrotic.
RESULTS—The frequency of the aneuploid DNA pattern was 38%. Necrotic tumours showed a worse clinical outcome independent of the ploidy pattern. Spindle A tumours were found to be diploid. Spindle B and mixed tumours showed a prevalent diploid and near diploid aneuploid pattern (DI <1.3), yet aneuploidy was not correlated with a worse prognosis. The epithelioid tumours were prevalently diploid. However, 83% of the aneuploid tumours were hypodiploid (DI <0.95), and showed the worst prognosis.
CONCLUSION—These results indicate that increasing DNA abnormalities in CMM, especially in the epithelioid histotype, were associated with an increasing mortality.

 Keywords: ocular melanoma; flow cytometry; DNA

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Histogram of spindle B choroidal malignant melanoma (CMM) showing a near diploid aneuploid peak. DI indicates the DNA index.

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Histogram of spindle B choroidal malignant melanoma (CMM) showing a hyperdiploid peak. DI indicates the DNA index.       

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Histogram of epithelioid choroidal malignant melanoma (CMM) showing a hypodiploid peak (A). Diploid peak increased while hypodiploid peak proportionally decreased after the reference diploid standard (non-tumour ocular tissue) was added (B). DI indicates the DNA index.

Selected References

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