Prognostic value of nuclear DNA quantification and cyclin A expression in epithelial ovarian carcinoma

ObjectiveTo investigate the correlation of DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction (SPF) and the expression of cyclin A to the clinical prognostic factors in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.Study designA prospective analysis was performed on 46 ovarian tumor patients. The DNA ploidy and SPF were determined by flow cytometry and the expression of cyclin A was measured by immunohistochemical staining.ResultsCompared with benign and borderline tumors, the malignant tumors expressed higher levels of cyclin A (P = 0.007), more aneuploid cells (P = 0.018) and higher SPF (P = 0.015). With regard to DNA ploidy and the clinical prognostic factors, aneuploid cells increased with tumor grade (P = 0.011), the disease stage (P = 0.009) and residual volume (P = 0.001). When residual tumor was more than 2 cm, the expression of cyclin A was increased (P = 0.043). Three-year survival was low for patients with tumors expressing cyclin A in over 10% of cells (P = 0.003).ConclusionsThe data suggest that the assessment of the DNA ploidy, SPF and the expression of cyclin A may provide important information for predicting the prognosis of epithelial ovarian cancer.