Spontaneous apoptosis as a predictor of radiotherapy in patients with stage IIB squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between the sp ontaneous apoptotic index (SAI) determined from pretreatment biopsy specime ns with the various clinical outcomes of patients with FIGO stage IIB squam ous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix in a retrospective analysis. Forty -eight patients treated with curative radiotherapy between 1989 and 1993 we re evaluated. Pretreatment biopsy specimens of those patients were scored f or apoptosis, mitosis, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immuno histochemical staining. The range of the SAI was 0.2-4.7% (median 1.1%). Pa tients whose tumours had a SAI above the median had better local control (p = 0.0062) and overall survival (p = 0.0053) than those with a lower SAI. F urthermore, the SAI was marginally significant on local control by a multiv ariate Cox regression analysis (p = 0.0571). There was no correlation betwe en the SAI and proliferation (mitosis and PCNA).