QUANTITATIVE PATHOLOGY OF LARYNGEAL EPITHELIAL HYPERPLASTIC LESIONS

We studied 40 laryngeal biopsies samples in order to ascertain the rel iability of light microscopical criteria for subdividing laryngeal epi thelial hyperplastic lesions (EHL) and carcinoma in situ as well as to determine the relationship between proliferative activity of their ep ithelial cells and the histological grade. The biopsies were divided i nto four groups in accordance with the Kambic-Lenart classification: s imple, abnormal and atypical hyperplasia and carcinoma in situ. IO cas es in each group were included. The morphometrical analysis was carrie d out by a semiautomatic image analysis system. The proliferative acti vity was determined by the high percentage of cell nuclear antigen (PC NA) and Ki-67 positive epithelial cells and with counting nucleolar or ganizer regions (Ag-NORs) per nucleus. Our results suggest that measur ing the nuclear area of the basal cells, augmented with basaloid cells and carcinomatous cells, is the most useful morphometrical method of differentiating three types of laryngeal EHL and carcinoma in situ, wh ile the proliferative activity progressively increased with the degree of epithelial hyperplasia. Morphometrical methods and proliferative a ctivity should be regarded as useful in conjunction with the tradition al histopathological methods allowing more of objective grading of EHL .