APOPTOSIS IN ASTROCYTOMAS WITH DIFFERENT GRADES OF MALIGNANCY

Apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death was studied in astrocytomas with varying stages of malignancy, including low grade astrocytoma, a naplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme. Apoptosis was visua lized by employing the TUNEL technique and the evaluation of nuclear m orphology and this was correlated with a study of bcl 2 expression. A decrease in the percentage of apoptotic cells and bcl 2 expression wer e evident with increasing malignancy. Furthermore, there was an increa se in the proportion of apoptotic cells of the early stage in the more advanced form of astrocytoma. This is a study which demonstrates a po ssible direct inverse relationship between the severity of apoptosis a nd the stages of malignancy.