Cellular Proliferation in Cancer Fifth International Workshop on Applications of AgNORs in Pathology, Immunohistochemistry and Image Processing September 19-21, 1997, Zaragoza, Spain

The quantitative distribution of AgNOR proteins represents a reliable index for predicting the clinical outcome of neoplastic patients. The rationale for the utilization of the AgNOR parameter in tumor pathology is based on the following observations: (1) the total quantity of AgNOR proteins evaluated in situ in human cancer cell lines by morphometric analysis is related to the rapidity of cell proliferation; (2) the quantity of Western-blotted nucleolin and protein B23 revealed by specific antibodies followed by reaction for chemoluminescence and measured by densitometric analysis of autoradiographic signals was also clearly related to cell doubling time; (3) in 30 human carcinoma xenografts growing in nude mice a highly significant correlation was demonstrated between AgNOR protein quantity and the tumor mass doubling time; and (4) in 18 untreated nodules of human hepatocellular carcinoma the tumor growth measured by “real time” ultrasonography was significantly related to the AgNOR protein quantity. These results demonstrate that the predictive power of the AgNOR protein parameter in tumor pathology is due to the fact that the AgNOR protein quantity is strictly related to the tumor mass growth rate.