Detection and Clinical Significance of Apoptotic Bodies in Laryngeal Squamous Cell Carcinomas / 대한암학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between apoptotic index and clinicopathological findings in laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourty-one cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas were analyzed for the detection of apoptotic bodies by in situ hybridization. RESULTS: The average apoptotic index was 9.38+/-2.89. The apoptotic indices were 11.26+/-1.86, 8.17+/-2.55, and 4.32+/-2.41 in well differentiated, moderately differentiated and poorly differentiated carcinoma, respectively. The histopathological differences and apoptotic index were statistically significant(p<0.05). But there was no relationship between apoptotic index and T stage, nodal status, recurrence and treatment results. CONCLUSION: The apoptotic index was only related to cellular differentiation. Also these results suggest that the numbers of apoptotic bodies in the tumor tissues can make it possible to presume indirectly the malignant potentiality of the tumor and will help us to understand the biologic behavior of head and neck cancer.