Summary
Using a one-stage silver staining technique, nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) were studied in paraffin sections of parathyroid glands (and in two lymph node metastases) from patients operated upon because of hyperparathyroidism or thyroid disease. The parathyroids were microscopically differentiated into normal, hyperplastic, adenomatous and carcinomatous glands. AgNORs were observed as distinct black dots of varying size and somewhat varying configuration in the nuclei of all glands. The mean number of AgNORs in the hyperplastic and adenomatous glands was not significantly different from that in the normal glands, whereas the carcinomatous glands exhibited significantly increased mean AgNOR number. No evidence was obtained for a role of AgNOR counting in the differentiation between normal and hyperplastic or adenomatous parathyroids, but the results suggest a potential role of enumeration of AgNORs in the discrimination between benign and malignant parathyroid neoplasms.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ayres JG, Crocker JG, Skilbeck NQ (1988) Differentiation of malignant from normal and reactive mesothelial cells by the argyrophil technique for nucleolar organizer regions and associated proteins. Thorax 43:366–370
Benbow EW, Cromie CJ (1989) Inability of AgNOR counts to differentiate between bronchial and carcinoid tumours and small cell carcinoma of the bronchus. J Clin Pathol 42:1003–1004
Chiu KY, Loke SL, Wong KK (1989) Improved silver technique for showing nucleolar organiser regions in paraffin wax sections. J Clin Pathol 42:992–994
Crocker J, McGovern J (1988) Nucleolar organiser regions in normal, cirrhotic, and carcinomatous livers. J Clin Pathol 41:1044–1048
Crocker J, Nar P (1987) Nucleolar organizer regions in lymphomas. J Pathol 151:111–118
Crocker J, Skilbeck N (1987) Nucleolar organiser region associated proteins in cutaneous melanotic lesions: a quantitative study. J Clin Pathol 40:885–889
Crocker J, MacCartney JC, Smith PJ (1988) Correlation between DNA flow cytometric and nucleolar organizer region data in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. J Pathol 154:151–156
Crocker J, Boldy DAR, Egan MJ (1989) How should we count AgNORS? Proposals for a standardized approach. J Pathol 158:185–188
Egan MJ, Crocker J (1988) Nucleolar organizer regions in cutaneous tumours. J Pathol 154:247–253
Ferguson-Smith MA, Handmaker SD (1961) Observations on the satellited human chromosomes. Lancet 1:638–640
Gillen P, Grace P, Dervan P, McDermott M, Smith J, Fitzpatrick JM (1988) Nucleolar organiser regions predict metastases in prostatic cancer. Br J Surg 75:1263
Giri DD, Nottingham JF, Lawry J, Dundas SAC, Underwood JCE (1989) Silver-binding nucleolar organizer regions (AgNORs) in benign and malignant breast lesions: correlations with ploidy and growth phase by DNA flow cytometry. J Pathol 157:307–313
Griffiths AP, Butler CW, Roberts P, Dixon MF, Quirke P (1989) Silver-stained structures (AgNORs), their dependence on tissue fixation and absence of prognostic relevance in rectal adenocarcinoma. J Pathol 159:121–127
Howat AJ, Giri DD, Wright AL, Underwood JCE (1988) Silverstained nucleoli and nucleolar organizer region counts are of no prognostic value in thick cutaneous malignant melanoma. JPathol 156:227–232
Moran K, Cooke T, Forster G, Gillen P, Sheehan S, Dervan P, Fitzpatrick JM (1989) Prognostic value of nucleolar organizer regions and ploidy values in advanced colorectal cancer. Br J Surg 76:1152–1155
Nairn ER, Crocker J, McGovern J (1988) Limited value of AgNOR enumeration in assessment of thyroid neoplasms. J Clin Pathol 41:1136
Ooms ECM, Veldhuizen RW (1989) Argyrophilic proteins of the nucleolar organizer region in bladder-tumours. Virchows Arch [A] 414:365–369
Ploton D, Menager M, Jeannesson P, Himber G, Pigeon J, Adnet J-J (1986) Improvement in the staining and in the visualisation of the argyrophilic proteins of the nucleolar organiser region at the optical level. Histochem J 18:5–141
Raymond WA, Leong AS-Y (1989) Nucleolar organizer regions relate to growth fractions in human breast carcinoma. Hum Pathol 20:741–746
Smith R, Crocker J (1988) Evaluation of nucleolar organizer region-associated proteins in breast malignancy. Histopathology 12:113–124
Smith PJ, Skilbeck N, Harrison A, Crocker J (1988) The effect of a series of fixatives on the AgNOR technique. J Pathol 155:109–1121
Trent JM, Carlin DA, Davies JR (1981) Expression of silver stained nucleolar organizing regions (AgNORs) in human cancer. Cytogenet Cell Genet 30:31–38
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Boquist, L.L.V. Nucleolar organizer regions in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic parathyroid glands. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 417, 237–241 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01600139
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01600139