Nuclear DNA content of the tall cell variant of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland.

Tall cell carcinoma of the thyroid gland is an aggressive variant of papillary carcinoma. A high nuclear DNA content has been associated with aggressive clinical behavior and an unfavorable prognosis in several malignant human tumors. It was also described in differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Therefore, analysis of the nuclear DNA content may yield information predictive of aggressive behavior. Accordingly, the DNA content of the tall cell variant was measured and compared with that of the usual form of papillary carcinoma by flow cytometry. Although all the aneuploid tumors were in the tall cell variant group, the difference in nuclear content was not statistically significant. We conclude that differences in the clinical behavior of these neoplasms are not related to alterations in DNA ploidy.