Flow cytometric DNA analysis of vascular soft tissue tumors, including African endemic-type Kaposi's sarcoma.

Vascular tumors of the soft tissue display a wide spectrum of histologic features and biologic behavior. Flow cytometric DNA analysis was performed on 40 vascular tumors, including nine African endemic-type Kaposi's sarcomas, nine angiosarcomas, seven hemangiopericytomas, six glomus tumors, and nine capillary hemangiomas. Six of the nine angiosarcoma cases (67%) and one of the seven hemangiopericytomas cases (14%) were aneuploid. All benign vascular tumors and Kaposi's sarcomas were diploid. Clinically, five of the six angiosarcoma patients with aneuploidy died within 2 to 28 months, while the remaining patient, who had the smallest tumor (2 x 1 cm), survived more than 4 years after the initial diagnosis was made. All three angiosarcoma patients with diploidy died within 10 to 14 months. One hemangiopericytoma patient with aneuploidy died within 1 month. No cases of benign tumor recurred. These results suggest that most vascular tumors, which generally follow a benign clinical course, were diploid and that the majority of those with a poor outcome were aneuploid. However, flow cytometrically assessed DNA ploidy has no prognostic value in angiosarcomas or hemangiopericytomas.