Does DNA cytometry have a place in the clinical laboratory

Conference · Wed Jan 24 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:7246155

Mayall, B. ^[1]; Waldman, F.; Chew, K.; Christov, K.; Goodson, W.; Ljung, B. M. ^[2]; Smith, H. S. ^[3]

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1. Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
2. California Univ., San Francisco, CA (USA). Lab. for Cell Analysis
3. Geraldine Brush Cancer Research Inst., San Francisco, CA (USA)

We are investigating the potential utility of cellular markers, including cellular proliferation and DNA cytometry, as independent diagnostic and prognostic markers in human breast cancer. However, as the clinical laboratory is responsible for providing physicians with data relevant to the patient, it is essential first to establish the validity of such markers before their use is recommended. Prospective validation is time-consuming and costly for tests of human malignancies, such as breast cancer, which may follow a lengthy and indolent course requiring patients to be followed for a decade or more before their clinical outcome is known. Therefore, retrospective studies on archival material are used whenever possible. Cell proliferation is recognized as an important diagnostic and prognostic marker for human breast cancer and a tritiated thymidine DNA labeling index greater than 5% is associated with a markedly less favorable outcome. Incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdUrd) into the DNA of S phase cells gives a similar labeling index. Unfortunately, paraffin-embedded archival material is rarely pre-labeled, and so DNA cytometry of either whole nuclei disaggregated from thick sections or partial nuclei in thin sections must be used as an indirect approach to estimate cellular proliferative activity. We are particularly interested in validating the DNA cytometry of thin sections and in relating the DNA histogram to in vivo BrdUrd labeling index, which is our standard for cellular proliferation. 6 refs., 1 fig.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/DP
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-48
• OSTI ID: 7246155
• Report Number(s): UCRL-102862; CONF-8911174--1; ON: DE90007652
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200* -- Biochemistry
550300 -- Cytology
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL CELLS
BIOCHEMISTRY
BIOLOGY
CELL FLOW SYSTEMS
CELL PROLIFERATION
CHEMISTRY
CYTOCHEMISTRY
CYTOLOGY
DATA COVARIANCES
DNA
DOCUMENT TYPES
LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LABORATORY
MEASURING METHODS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
REVIEWS
TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT
TESTING
US AEC
US DOE
US ERDA
US ORGANIZATIONS
VALIDATION