title: Silver stained nucleolar organizer region proteins (Ag-NORs) as a predictor of prognosis in colonic cancer.
abstract: Using a one-step silver nitrate staining technique, routinely processed tumour tissues of 49 carcinomas of the colon were investigated to demonstrate silver-stained nucleoli (Ag-nus) and argyrophilic proteins associated with the so-called nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs). Patients with attempted curative resections and tumour stages Dukes' A, B, C1 and C2, with an uneventful follow-up period of at least 48 months (N = 17), showed a statistically significant (P = 0.0001) lower mean number of scattered Ag-NORs (3.04; SD: 1.08) compared to patients who developed metastases during their follow-up period (N = 15; 5.40; SD: 1.28), as well as to patients who underwent palliative surgical treatment (N = 17; 4.48; SD: 1.67). Mean numbers of scattered Ag-NORs per nucleus and staging of the tumour were strongly related (P = 0.0001) to cancer-specific survival. The results indicate that the evaluation of silver-stained particles according to their different distribution patterns is of great value with regard to the clinical outcome of colonic carcinoma and may even allow a more accurate prognostic assessment of these patients than the WHO grading system, UICC staging system, the so-called Jass-scoring system, and Dukes' classification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery I, University Hospital, Innsbruck, Austria.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ofner
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tötsch
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sandbichler
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hallbrucker
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Margreiter
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mikuz
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Schmid
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011379:Prognosis; D012835:Silver Nitrate
chemical_list: D034961:Antigens, Nuclear; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C051963:nucleolar organizer region associated proteins; D012835:Silver Nitrate