Proliferation patterns and aneuploidy in adenomatous polyps of the colon.

The frequency of aneuploidy and the proliferative activity of 57 colorectal adenomatous polyps was investigated by static cytophotometry and compared with 43 adenocarcinomas and 60 samples of normal mucosa. Twenty per cent of the adenomas contained aneuploid cells compared with 63 per cent of the adenocarcinomas. Except in the case of villous adenomas, there was a general increase in the proliferative activity of the diploid adenomas with increasing degrees of dysplasia. All of the adenomas showed an increase in proliferation compared with normal mucosa. There was a positive correlation between the size of the diploid adenomas and proliferative activity (P less than 0.001).