title: Spatial distribution of mitosis, apoptosis and small blood vessels in malignant diffuse follicular-center-cell lymphomas: a nearest-neighbor analysis.
abstract: To better comprehend the relationships between cell birth and cell death in neoplastic disorders, the topography of these events needs to be considered. We applied a computerized nearest-neighbor analysis to malignant, diffuse follicular-center-cell lymphomas in order to examine the spatial distribution of pyknotic (apoptotic) cells/bodies (A) and mitotic figures (M) in relation to capillaries (C) and venules (V). The results revealed a complex dispersion pattern, with significant aggregations of A and M, in addition to an even greater random distribution component. The greatest clustering displayed by A was around capillaries (A-C, 42% reduction of object frequency between the first and second distance class), followed by A-A (33%), A-V (24%) and A-M (12%). Additional values for mitotic figures were: M-M (45%), M-V (33%) and M-C (22%). These findings may reflect the relative importance of inherent properties of the neoplastic and host factors, respectively, in the regulation of cell birth and cell death rates.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University of Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kraft
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barbini
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Leoncini
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Del Vecchio
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Megha
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Minacci
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Spina
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Massai
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tosi
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Laissue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017209:Apoptosis; D002196:Capillaries / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008938:Mitosis; D012044:Regression Analysis