Ploidy, nuclear grade, and steroid receptors as prognostic parameters in human renal cell carcinoma (RCC)

The higher incidence of steroid receptors (SR) in the low, rather than in the advanced stage human RCC and the negativity of SR on primary aneuploid RCC removed from patients with metastases at the time of nephrectomy, prompted us to study ploidy, nuclear grade, cytosol and nuclear SR in 37 cases of primary RCC in order to identify patients at low risk of recurrence and death. Flow cytometry and cellular grading, according to Syrjanen and Hjelt, were employed. Analysis of the death rate of 37 patients revealed that all 9 patients with exitus had aneuploid RCC, but only 6 patients in the group of living patients have diploid tumors. There were 60% diploid and 40% aneuploid tumors in grade 1 RCC. 16% diploid and 84% aneuploid in grade 2 RCC, 100% aneuploid tumors in grade 3 and 4 RCC. Cytosol SR presented a higher incidence in the diploid than in the aneuploid tumors, whilst the relationship with nuclear grading requires further study.