title: Apoptosis and expression of argyrophilic nucleolus organizer regions in epithelial neoplasms of the larynx.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Occurrence of apoptosis and expression of proliferative markers are powerful tools to establish a prognosis in the follow-up of cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the growth fraction in papillomas and laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas with three degrees of differentiation through apoptosis and the expression of nucleolus organizer regions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study from which paraffin material was submitted to microtomy and hematoxylin-eosin and silver staining. Stained slides were used to quantify the apoptotic index and the number of nucleolus organizer regions by morphometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apoptosis was significantly more frequent in well differentiated carcinomas and in papillomas, and a higher growth fraction of expressed nucleolus organizer regions and cells that expressed a greater than average number of nucleolus organizer regions were more frequently noted in undifferentiated carcinomas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus, it was possible to verify that a high apoptotic index was associated with a lower chance of tumor differentiation in carcinomas, while a greater number of total nucleolus organizer regions, cells expressing nucleolus organizer regions above average and a higher growth fraction were associated with greater likelihood of abnormal cell proliferation and increased tumor differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade e Escola Técnica Novo Rumo, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Electronic address: christianavargas@yahoo.com.br.
authors.forename: Christiana Vargas
authors.initials: CV
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: University of California, California, USA; Department of General Pathology, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anilton Cesar
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Vasconcelos
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil; Division of Pathology and Cytopathology, Hospital Felício Rocho, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
authors.forename: José de Souza
authors.initials: Jde S
authors.lastname: Andrade Filho
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000473:pathology*; D009697:Nucleolus Organizer Region / Q000473:pathology*; D010212:Papilloma / Q000473:pathology*; D011379:Prognosis; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Apoptose; Apoptosis; Carcinoma de células escamosas; Laringe; Larynx; Nucleolus organizer region; Papilloma; Papiloma; Região organizadora do nucléolo; Squamous cell carcinoma