title: [Detection of radiation-induced apoptosis in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the pathological changes after radiotherapy and its clinical significance of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Paraffin-embedded tissue blocks obtained from 30 cases of NPC before and during radiotherapy were used in this study. Using terminal oxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) and HE staining, the spontaneous and radiation-induced apoptotic rate (AR) were examined, and the pathological changes of NPC tissues before and after radiotherapy were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The AR of radiation-induced apoptosis was significant higher than that of spontaneous apoptosis, but the AR was decreasing and the differentiation of proliferatic tumor clonogehic cell getting better during radiotherapy of NPC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The process of apoptosis was accelerated and the differentiation of proliferative tumor clonogehic cell getting better during radiotherapy of NPC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, First Affiliated Hospital, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning 530021.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nong
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Feng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000532:radiotherapy