Apoptosis and expression of argyrophilic nucleolus organizer regions in epithelial neoplasms of the larynx()()()

INTRODUCTION: 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.