A high ratio of apoptosis to proliferation correlates with improved survival after radiotherapy for cervical adenocarcinoma.
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| Abstract | PURPOSE: A retrospective study was made of the role of apoptosis in determining radiotherapy outcome in 39 adenocarcinoma of the cervix. A comparison was also made of the detection of apoptosis by morphology and the TdT dUtp nick end-labeling (TUNEL) assay. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The level of apoptosis was assessed in paraffin-embedded sections by cell morphology, the TUNEL assay, and a combination of the two. A total of 2,000 cells were counted per section, to obtain apoptotic (AI) and mitotic (MI) indices. RESULTS: Patients with a high AI had a higher survival rate than those with a low AI, however, the difference was not significant. Using a ratio of apoptosis to proliferation indices, patients with an AI:MI > median had significantly better survival than those with AI:MI < median. This was true where the AI was quantified by morphology alone (p = 0.030) or in combination with the TUNEL assay (p = 0.008). Where the AI was quantified by a combination of morphology and TUNEL, the 5-year survival rates for women with AI:MI greater or less than the median were 81% and 25%, respectively. CONCLUSION: A high ratio of AI:MI in adenocarcinoma of the cervix indicates a good prognosis. A combination of the TUNEL assay and morphology provided the best discrimination between outcome groups.
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| Authors | M T Sheridan, R A Cooper, C M West |
| Journal | International journal of radiation oncology, biology, physics (Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys) Vol. 44 Issue 3 Pg. 507-12 (Jun 01 1999) ISSN: 0360-3016 [Print] United States |
| PMID | 10348278 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't) |
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