[Determination of cell nuclear DNA content in polyps and cancerous degeneration in the large intestine].

Nuclear DNA content was measured by microspectrophotometry in 40 biopsy specimens from patients with large bowel polyps (10 juvenile polyps and inflammatory polyps, 25 adenoma subdivided into 3 groups with 10 Grade I, 10 Grade II and 5 Grade III, 5 cancerous degeneration), and 5 normal epithelium of large intestine. The mean DNA value increased steadily as follows: normal epithelium of intestine (13.54 +/- 1.76 Au); juvenile polyps and inflammatory polyps (14.89 +/- 0.40 Au); adenoma Grade III (21.96 +/- 0.92 Au); cancerous degeneration (24.47 +/- 1.48 Au). The difference in DNA value in these groups was statistically significant (P less than 0.05-0.01). These results suggest that measurement of nuclear DNA content may serve as an objective quantitative parameter for diagnosis of large bowel carcinomatous change of polyps and classification of polypoid adenomas.