Rg. Steinbeck et al., THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN (PCNA), NUCLEAR-DNA CONTENT AND MUTANT P53 DURING GENESIS OF CERVICAL-CARCINOMA, Acta oncologica, 34(2), 1995, pp. 171-176
Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), nuclear DNA content and mut
ant p53 overexpression were studied by means of image cytometry and im
munohistochemistry respectively in normal mucosa (n = 16), moderate (n
= 9) and severe (n = 17) atypical lesions, as well as in squamous cel
l carcinomas (n = 36) of the cervix uteri. The results show that incre
asing histopathological atypia in the cervical mucosa was correlated t
o an initial increase of PCNA followed by distinct aneuploidy and p53
overexpression. The data are suggested to contribute to a better under
standing of the genesis of cervical carcinoma, and to indicate that th
e coexistence of both distinct aneuploidy and p53 immunoreactivity can
be used to decide if a cell population is neoplastic, whereas the abs
ence of p53 overexpression does not necessarily exclude neoplasia. Thi
s diagnostic procedure can be suggested to improve early detection of
intraepithelial squamous neoplasia.