Flow cytometry derived DNA content of the primary lesions of advanced germ cell tumours

Abstract

We currently lack good prognostic indicators for patients with advanced disseminated germ cell tumours (GCT). An analysis of archival tumour samples of forty-nine patients with advanced GCT for flow cytometry derived DNA content suggests an inverse relationship between tumour proliferative activity and patient survival. The great majority of patients with advanced GCT have aneuploid tumour subpopulations. This analysis suggests that the survival of patients with advanced GCT may depend in part on kinetic variables present in the primary tumour.