Evaluation of DNA ploidy and S-phase fraction in fine needle aspirates from breast carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The use of fine-needle aspiration (FNA) as a primary tool in the diagnosis of breast carcinoma provides opportunity for early proliferative characterization of the tumor. This study was undertaken to assess DNA ploidy and S-phase (SPF) fraction by flow cytometry in fine needle aspirates of patients with breast cancer. METHOD: Fifty patients of breast cancer diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) and who subsequently underwent either mastectomy or lumpectomy were included. Material obtained by FNAC was subjected to DNA ploidy and SPF analysis. Immunohistochemical estimation of Ki-67 was done on histopathology sections. The proliferation markers (SPF and Ki-67) were compared with each other and with the histopathologic parameters. RESULTS: On DNA flow cytometry, 27 (54%) cases were aneuploid and 23 (46%) cases were diploid. The median SPF was 12.43% and 4.03% in aneuploid and diploid tumors respectively. Median Ki-67 among aneuploid tumors was 28.6% compared to 8.7% among diploid tumors. Aneuploid tumors were significantly associated with higher values of SPF and Ki-67, with Kappa 0.437 and agreement of 72%. Diploid tumors showed lower values of SPF and Ki-67, with Kappa 0.455 and agreement of 72.7%. Correlation among SPF and Ki-67 was highly significant with Kappa value 0.446, P value of .002 and agreement of 72.3%. CONCLUSION: DNA ploidy and proliferative activity by flow cytometric SPF estimation on fine needle aspirates from breast cancer can provide valuable prognostic and predictive information at the time of diagnosis in patients with breast cancer. This might help in selection of appropriate treatment modality.

Effect of passive immunization against leptin on ovarian follicular development in prepubertal mice.

Leptin has been demonstrated to be essential for reproduction. However, all the relevant studies reported to date have investigated either the effect of a complete absence of leptin both centrally and peripherally, or excess leptin administration. The aim of this present study was to investigate the effect of reducing peripheral leptin concentrations on ovarian follicular development in prepubertal animals via administration of an anti-leptin antibody. Pre-pubertal female mice were administered anti-leptin antibody under the skin behind the head for four days, with or without gonadotropins, and ovaries were weighed and collected for follicle counting. Control animals were treated with non-immune serum. Passive immunization against leptin, with or without gonadotropins, resulted in a significant increase in ovarian weight compared with control ovaries. Furthermore, the ovaries from the anti-leptin group had significantly greater numbers of primary follicles per ovarian section than the control group, thus suggesting an increase in the transition of primordial to primary follicles after treatment. Interestingly, animals treated with anti-leptin plus gonadotropins had a significantly higher number of Graafian follicles in their ovaries compared with the other groups. Collectively, the results of the present study indicate that reduction of leptin in the circulation promotes ovarian follicle development in female mice, suggesting that peripheral leptin acts as an inhibitor of ovarian follicle development.