Standardized AgNOR analysis of the invasive tumour front in oral squamous cell carcinomas

✍ Scribed by Piffkò, Jòzsef; Bànkfalvi, Àgnes; Öfner, Dietmar; Rasch, Dörte; Joos, Ulrich; Schmid, Kurt W.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 211 KB
• Volume: 182
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199708)182:4<450::aid-path883>3.0.co;2-v

✦ Synopsis

In the last decade, silver staining of nucleolar organizer region-associated proteins (AgNORs) has been widely used in tumour pathology both for diagnostic and for prognostic purposes. However, a reliable and reproducible assessment of these proteins on routinely processed archival tissues has only become possible since the recent introduction of standardized staining method and computer-aided morphometric analysis. In the present study, the AgNOR content at the invasive front of 80 squamous cell carcinomas of the floor of the mouth/tongue was investigated using this novel approach, with regard to prognosis and a variety of clinico-pathological parameters. All standardized AgNOR parameters [mean of AgNOR number, mean of AgNOR area, coefficients of variation (CV) of both AgNOR number and area] were statistically significantly associated with the clinical course. The strongest correlation was found for the AgNOR-area univariate analysis (P=0•006). In multivariate analysis, the mean of AgNOR number could independently predict both overall (P=0•01) and disease-free survival (P=0•001). It is concluded that standardized staining and computer-aided analysis of AgNORs are prerequisites for an objective and reproducible AgNOR assessment, which has potential as a supplementary diagnostic and prognostic tool in oral cancer. 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.