Volume 53 (2003) Issue: 2003 No#5-6

QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF AgNOR IN BENIGN AND MALIGNANT CANINE MAMMARY GLAND TUMORS

Author(s): Jelesijević T, Jovanović M, Knežević Milijana, Aleksić-Kovačević Sanja

Keywords:dog, mammary gland, tumors, AgNOR

In this retrospective study, quantitative and qualitative analyses of argyrophil nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in 54 malignant and 18 benign canine mammary gland tumors were made. Statistical analysis showed a significant difference in the mean number of AgNORs per cell between benign and malignant tumors (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in the mean number of AgNORs per cell between complex carcinomas, simple carcinomas and carcinomas in mixed tumors (p>0.05), as well as between adenomas and benign mixed tumors (p>0.05). Six different patterns of AgNOR distribution were observed. Types I, II, III and in only two cases, type IV, were observed in benign tumors, while all six types were observed in malignant tumors. The predominant types in malignant tumors were III, IV, V and VI. Cell types II, III and IV were predominant in malignant tumors with 5.5-7 AgNORs per cell, while cell types V and VI were dominant in tumors with more than 7 AgNORs per cell.