Paraffin-embedded tissue from 38 patients with early- and advanced-stage juvenile
granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) of the ovary was analyzed by flow cytometry to investigate whether the
DNA content is related to the histologic features, stage, or clinical outcome. Thirty-three cases were suitable for analysis: twenty-seven Stage Ia, two Stage Ic, and four Stage III. Eighteen (55%)
tumors were
DNA diploid and fifteen (45%)
tumors were
DNA aneuploid with a mean S-phase fraction (SPF) of 13.6% and a range of
DNA indices from 1.0 to 2.2. Neither the
DNA ploidy nor the SPF was associated with the stage of the disease. An analysis of the relation between
DNA content and histopathologic features revealed that
aneuploidy was associated with high mitotic rates and to a lesser extent with high-grade nuclear atypia.
DNA aneuploidy was not associated with aggressive behavior of Stage Ia JGCTs. However, among the four patients with Stage III
tumors, the two with diploid, low-SPF
tumors were alive and well, whereas the two with
aneuploid, high-SPF
tumors developed recurrences or died. These data suggest that further studies on the prognostic significance of flow cytometric analysis of
DNA content in advanced-stage JGCTs are warranted.