Changes in Ploidy Distributions in Human Liver Carcinogenesis2.

Cellular and nuclear DNA content was measured by flow cytometry and the fraction of binudeated ceDs by fluorescence microscopy in normal adult human livers, bepatoceflular carcinomas, cirrbotic livers surrounding tumors, and in some benign liver conditions. In five normal livers about one-half of the hepatocytes were polyploid; the majority of these were binudeated te-traploids containing two diploid nuclei. Thus, potyploidiza-tion in human liver does not progress as far as, for example, in the rat, where 80%-90% of adult hepatocytes are polyploid, mostly with tetraploid or octoploid nuclei. In five human euplold hepatocellular carcinomas and one investigated case of focal nodular hyperplasia, the percentage of polyplold cells was significantly reduced.. Four other carcinomas exhibited a prominent aneuplold (hypotetraplold) peak in addition to the diplold peak. An abnormally low fraction of binucleated cells was also indicated in these tumors. Liver tissue surrounding the tumors had a ploldy distribution similar to that of normal liver. The results suggest that, like In several models of experimental hepatocardnogenesis, human bepatocellular tumor growth Is associated with a decreased polyploldization tendency and a corresponding increase in diploid, divisional growth, which may give the tumors a growth advantage relative to the surrounding liver. U Nati Cancer Inst 1988;8O.148O—1485] [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]