DIAGNOSIS OF PROSPECTIVE MALIGNANCY IN BORDERLINE LESIONS OF THE CERVIX UTERI (CIN I/II) BY DNA CYTOMETRY

134 borderline lesions of the cervix uteri (CIN I/II) were investigated by using the newly developed diagnostic method DNA-imaged cytometry (MIAMED-DNA, Wild-Leitz, Wetzlar). The demonstration of aneuploid cells served as a marker for prospective malignancy. 18 out of 35 cases, which proved to be CIN III in the follow-up, had a malignant DNA diagnosis. The sensitivity of the diagnostic DNA cytometry for prospective malignancy was therefore 51.4%. All 43 cases with a negative DNA diagnosis proved to be negative in the follow-up, so that the specificity of DNA cytometry was 100%. Suspicious DNA diagnoses in 26% of the cases proved to be CIN III in the follow-up. DNA cytometry seems to be a reliable method to predict the biological behaviour of borderline lesions of the cervix uteri in everyday practice.