Atypical mitotic figures and the mitotic index in microinvasive carcinomas and in non-neoplastic changes of the uterine cervix

Abstract

SummaryThis study sought to show whether an increased mitoticindex (MI; i.e. the number of mitoses among 1000 nuclei) and the occurrence of particular atypical mitotic figures (AMFs) are characteristic of cervical squamous malignancy.The study group consisted of 24 cervical tissue specimens with microinvasive carcinoma (MIC). The intraepithelial and invasive parts were considered separately. The control group consisted of 82 cervical tissue specimens without neoplasia which were derived from two sources: 31 women were biopsied because of an abnormal cervical cytology report but no neoplasia was found histologically and 51 women underwent an hysterectomy for non-cervical uterine disease. Mitoses were only classified in proliferative lesions (MI⩾2). The mitoses were classified into normal mitotic figures (NMFs), lag type mitoses (LTMs), multipolar mitoses (MPMs) and other atypical mitotic figures (OAMFs). Particular attention was given to the two group metaphase (2GM), a member of the LTMs. In order to be 9...