[Proliferating cell nuclear antigen in cervical cancer and precursor lesions]

The aim of this study was to study the degree of cellular proliferation quantifying the immunohistochemical expression of the proliferating cell nuclear antigen. We assessed paraffin embedded samples of 25 infiltrating epidermoid cervical carcinomas, 76 precursor lesions (34 of low and 42 of high grade), 29 normal and 13 metaplastic epidermoid epithelia. Mean values of proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression were 13.7% in normal epithelia, 15.7% in epidermoid metaplasia, 37.1% in low grade precursor lesions (35.3% in condilomas and 38.8% in mild dysplasia), 48.7% in high grade lesions (47.9% in moderate dysplasias, 50.5% in severe dysplasias and 50% in carcinoma in situ) and 54.7% in infiltrating carcinoma. There were differences in proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression nd mitotic index between low grade precursor lesions and high grade lesions and infiltrating carcinoma. No correlation was observed between mitotic index and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression. We conclude that infiltrating epidermoid cervical carcinoma and its precursor lesions have a high level of proliferative activity, demonstrated by a high percentage of cells in active phases of the cellular cycle.