PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF HISTOBIOLOGICAL FACTORS (MALIGNANCY GRADING AND AGNOR CONTENT) ASSESSED AT THE INVASIVE TUMOR FRONT OF ORAL SQUAMOUS-CELL CARCINOMAS

Tumour cells at the invasive front of carcinomas have been found to di ffer substantially from the rest of tumour cells in a Variety of human cancers. The present multivariate survival analysis of 94 oral squamo us cell carcinomas (OSCCs) revealed that both the argyrophilic nucleol ar organizer regions-associated protein (AgNOR) content of invading tu mour cells and a multiparametric histopathological tumour front grade were significantly and independently associated with tumour-related de ath, irrespective of conventional Broders' grade and clinical stage of the tumours. High tumour front scores and AgNOR content at the invasi ve OSCC front thus seem to reflect increased malignant potential. Prol iferative activity, assessed by standardized AgNOR analysis, most prob ably represents one of the biological features underlying the usefulne ss of evaluating the invasive tumour front.