Silver binding nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) were evaluated in five cases with normal endocervix, 10 of glandular dysplasia, 7 of early invasive adenocarcinoma (5 of adenocarcinoma in situ, 2 of microinvasive adenocarcinoma), and 8 of invasive adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix. Nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) were evaluated, postoperatively, with a computer-assisted method (Nikon, LUZEX 3).
The number of NORs and the area per nucleus were significantly higher in patients with glandular dysplasia, early invasive adenocarcinoma, and invasive adenocarcinoma than in patients with normal endocervix. Significant differences were also found in the number of NORs and the area per nucleus between glandular dysplasia cases and adenocarcinoma cases.
It was concluded that glandular dysplasia might be precancerous lesions and that the area of NORs per nucleus might play an important role in the evaluation of AgNORs.
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