ARGYROPHILIC NUCLEOLAR ORGANIZER REGIONS (AGNORS) COUNT AS INDICATOR OF POSTSURGICAL PROGNOSIS IN FELINE MAMMARY CARCINOMAS

Feline mammary carcinomas (FMC) were surgically resected from 51 cats to verify that the nucleolar organiser regions (AgNORs) count is relat ed to the post-surgical survival time (PST). After one year post-surge ry, 27 cats (group A) were still alive (52.9 per cent) while (41.7 per cent) (group B) had died as a consequence of FMC. Formalin-fixed, par affin wax-embedded histological sections were stained with silver nitr ate and the AgNORs were then counted at x 100 oil immersion objective. In FMC AgNORs count ranged from 1.2 to 12.1 (6.10+/-2.3). A statistic ally significant difference (P = 0.000112) in the AgNORs count was fou nd between cats from group A and group B. No other statistically signi ficant differences were found between group A and B. AgNORs count was not correlated to age or different histological type, according to the WHO classification. Using this technique it is possible to identify t wo populations of FMC with a statistically significant difference in t he PST.