PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN IN CER VICAL-CANCER AND PRECURSOR LESIONS

The aim of this study was to study the degree of cellular proliferatio n quantifying the immunohistochemical expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen. We assessed paraffin embedded samples of 25 infi ltrating epidermoid cervical carcinomas, 76 precursor lesions (34 of l ow and 42 of high grade), 29 normal and 13 metaplastic epidermoid epit helia. Mean values of proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression we re 13.7% in normal epithelia, 15.7% in epidermoid metaplasia, 37.1% in low grade precursor lesions (35.3% in condilomas and 38.8% in mild dy splasia), 48.7% in high grade lesions (47.9% in moderate dysplasias, 5 0.5% in severe dysplasias and 50% in carcinoma in situ) and 54.7% in i nfiltrating carcinoma. There were differences in proliferating cell nu clear antigen expression and mitotic index between low grade precursor lesions and high grade lesions and infiltrating carcinoma. No correla tion was observed between mitotic index and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression. we conclude that infiltrating epidermoid cervical carcinoma and its precursor lesions have a high level of proliferativ e activity, demonstrated by a high percentage of cells in active Phase s of the cellular cycle.