Proliferating activity in oral dysplastic leasions and squamous cell carcinomas

The aim of the study was the quantitative analysis of AgNORs in oral squamous cell carcinomas as well as in dysplastic epithelial changes accompanied and not accompanied by oral squamous cell carcinomas. AgNOR proteins were visualized in histological slides using silver impregnation technique according to D. Ploton. In each sample 100 cell nuclei were assessed. The study used 54 cases of proliferating oral epithelial changes divided into 3 groups: group I consisting of 13 cases of dysplastic lesions not accompanied by oral squamous cell carcinomas; group II (a total of 18 cases) containing dysplastic lesions situated in the vicinity of oral carcinomas and group III (23 cases) with oral squamous cell carcinomas. Statistically significant differences were found between groups with mild dysplasia and groups with severe dysplasia as well as squamous cell carcinomas. Statistical analysis did not show any differences in the number of AgNORs between squamous cell carcinomas and epithelial lesions with severe dysplasia. Our results demonstrate that the analysis of AgNORs expression can serve only as an additional parameter to evaluate the potential of malignant transformation.