Biswal, Biswa Mohan and Othman, Nor Hayati
(2000)
Usefulness of nuclear morphometry and agNOR score in predicting radiation response in squamous cell cancer of the head and neck.
In: Usefulness of nuclear morphometry and agNOR score in predicting radiation response in squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, 1 November 1998.
(Submitted)
Abstract
Squamous cell cancers of the head and neck have diverse biological behavior and prediction of radiation response. There is lack of specific investigation tool to predict
the subgroup of cancers unresponsive to radiotherapy. This is a prospective study in the use of nuclear and nucleolar morphometric parameters for the prediction of radiation
response. Twenty six patients with squamous cell cancers of the head and neck region were recruited to receive a course of palliative radiation therapy to a dose of 30Gy in 10
fractions over 2 weeks. Fine needle aspiration cytology was performed on day 1 and day-5 of the above radiotherapy schedule. The AgNOR score and nuclear morphometric study
was done using computerized image analyzer. A total of 26 patients were evaluable with a median age of 44 years (range 17-76 years). The primary tumors were from
nasopharynx (11), larynx & hypopharynx (5), metastatic node (4), and miscellaneous tumors of head and neck (6). The response to radiation was gradual with a median regression time of 4 weeks.The mean AgNOR score was 3 dots/ nucleus (range (1.2-7dots/nucleus). The average nuclear diameter was 11.073J (range 7.70-16.6) and nucleolar diameter 2.92
(1.09-11.66). Patients with higher pretreatment AgNOR
score (> 2.5) were associated with disease progression and metastasis. However patients whose cancer cells showed increase in the diameter of the nucleus after initial
radiotherapy fared better with local control by radiotherapy than those cancer cells were not.
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
![[img]](http://eprints.usm.my/style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png)
