ASSESSMENT OF PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF SQUAMOUS CELL METAPLASIA OF THE CERVIX USING AgNor TECHNOLOGY

Metaplastic processes represent the transformation of one type of cell into another type within the same tissue. It belongs to the group of adaptive-compensatory processes that develop in response to changed environmental conditions, hormonal stimulation or the development of inflammatory processes. Because its development is directly or indirectly accompanied by the tumorogenesis, they are considered as a pre-cancer condition with different potential for malignancy. The type of metaplasia depends on the type of target tissue itself. AgNOR/The Nucleolar Organizer Regions stands for Nucleolar Organizer Regions and are loops of DNA that project beneath the nucleolars of mitotic interphase nuclei. Increased amounts of AgNOR are associated with increased cell proliferation. The aim of the study was to evaluate the proliferative activity of different types of metaplasias of the cervix using AgNor technology. Based on the results of our research, we can assume that the mentioned technology can be used in routine practice as an aid to evaluate proliferative activity during cervical metaplastic processes.