The aim of this study is to evaluate the proliferating activity of
ameloblastomas and its correlation to the
biological behaviour according to each histological type. 38 cases of solid and unicystic
ameloblastomas were reviewed including 1 case of ameloblastic
carcinoma and 1 recurrent case. An anti-
PCNA antibody, PC10(Dako), was applied for the detection of
proliferating cell nuclear antigen (
PCNA) in
paraffin embedded tissue sections. Also 20 cases of
dentigerous cysts were reviewed. In conclusion, we observed that there was no difference between the proliferating activities of the different histological types of solid
ameloblastomas. Because 1 case of ameloblastic
carcinoma and one recurrent case revealed remarkably high
PCNA reactivity, we believe that
PCNA would be useful in showing the differentiation between benign and malignant
ameloblastomas. In unicystic
ameloblastomas, plexiform intraluminal growth was considered to be an important feature in tumorous transformation of cystic epithelium.