Automated imaging cytometry reveals dysplastic indices of colonic serrated adenomas

Aim: Left-sided colonic serrated adenomas (L-SAs) were evaluated for aneuploidy using automated imaging cytometry to quantify DNA content and compared with normal colonic tissues (NCT), tubular adenomas (TA), left-sided hyperplastic polyps (L-HP) and adenocarcinomas.

Materials & methods: We used standard paraffin-embedded Feulgen-stained tissue sections.

Results: The mean DNA index (DI) of NCT was 0.95, L-HP was 1.08, TA was 1.22, L-SA was 1.11 and adenocarcinomas was 1.46. DI of L-SA was statistically higher than that of NCT, but not statistically different from L-HP.

Conclusion: This study demonstrates that DIs correlate with the described neoplastic progression of L-SA, TA and L-SA compared with NCT and suggests that L-SA may be involved in a chromosome instability pathway of neoplastic progression.