HYPERPLASTIC FOCI IN CHRONIC LIVER-DISEASE - THEIR PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY ASSESSED BY NUCLEOLAR ORGANIZING REGION

In the cirrhotic and precirrhotic liver, there may be small foci with increased cellularity and amphophilic cytoplasm. These are microscopic lesions that do not form macroscopically detectable nodules, which di ffer from the macroscopically apparent nodules of dysplastic nodules. In the present study, we assessed the proliferating activity of 12 hyp erplastic foci in 11 patients with cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis, by staining for agyrophilic nucleolar organizing regions (AgNOR). The mea n AgNOR count per nucleus in the hyperplastic foci ranged from 0.96 to 1.36 (mean, 1.13; SD 0.12), and from 0.81 to 1.06 (mean, 0.94; SD 0.0 8) in the controls. The AgNOR count in the hyperplastic foci was signi ficantly higher than that in the controls (P < 0.01). Small hyperplast ic foci show increased proliferative activity. Further study on these foci is required to clarify their relation to hepatocarcinogenesis.