title: The prognostic significance of AgNOR counts and PCNA-positive cell counts in canine malignant lymphomas.
abstract: The behaviour of canine malignant lymphomas is difficult to predict on the basis of histomorphology alone, but the majority of such tumours are "high-grade" by most classifications. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic significance of argyrophilic nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR) counts and of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-positive cell counts in canine malignant lymphomas; and to relate the results to the histological grade (Kiel classification) and to the survival time of treated and untreated dogs. Low- and high-grade malignant lymphomas differed significantly in having mean AgNOR counts of 3.3 and 5.7 respectively. Untreated dogs with a mean AgNOR count higher than 5.5 did not survive more than 85 days; the median survival time for this group was 38.5 days. Untreated dogs with a mean AgNOR count lower than 4.0 survived at least 82 days and one dog more than 300 days; the median survival time for this group was 154 days. Treated dogs with a mean AgNOR count higher than 5.5 did not survive more than 126 days; the median survival time for this group was 73.5 days. Treated dogs with a mean AgNOR count lower than 4.0 had a median survival time of 205.5 days and one dog survived 367 days. The mean AgNOR count would seem to be a valuable prognostic marker for canine malignant lymphomas, but PCNA counts had no prognostic significance in relation to the median survival time in treated or untreated dogs.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Veterinär-Pathologie der Freien Universität Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiupel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bostock
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bergmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002452:Cell Count / Q000662:veterinary; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D004285:Dogs; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region; D011379:Prognosis; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D015996:Survival Rate
chemical_list: D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen