A RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED NEOP LASTIC MARKERS (P53, PCNA, KI67, DNA) AND ULTRASTRUCTURE IN PATIENTS WITH LARYNGEAL-CANCER

A comparison was made of the staining intensities of selected immunohi stochemical proliferating antigens (p53, PCNA, Ki67), DNA flow-cytomet ry and ultrastructures of neoplastic cells from 120 cases of laryngeal cancers. Clinically very advanced tumors were in the majority (T3, 43 %; T4, 18%). A 5-grade scale was adopted to evaluate the level of immu nohistochemical staining of the carcinoma cell nuclei. Positive staini ng was obtained in 70% for p53, 57% for Ki67 and 80% for PCNA. Sixty-t wo percent of the cases were DNA-diploid and 38% DNA-aneuploid. The DN A-diploid carcinomas were accompanied by enlargement of the cell nucle i, preservation of wide margins of nuclear heterochromatin,enlargement s of the nuclear areas and increases in the number of nuclei. In the a neuploid-polyploid cancers the nuclei had a substantial polymorphism,w ith large cleaved nuclei showing significant variations in size and ha ving a nuclear envelope. A frequent finding was euchromatization of ch romatin. Dense chromatin appeared in the form of small clumps spread o ver the whole area of these irregular nuclei. Enlargement and activati on of nucleoli were found. There was a positive (chi-square) correlati on between T- and N-stage and immunohistochemical staining. There was also a positive correlation in staining intensity between p53, Ki67 an d PCNA markers and strong correlation between these markers for prolif erative activity and the degree of aggressiveness of a tumor.