The argyrophilic nucleolar organizing regions (AgNOR) are regions of the DNA that contain the sequences for the synthesis of the ribosomic RNA. They are localized in the short arms of human acrocentric chromosomes and they are indicators of cellular proliferation and ribosomal activity. The present study investigated the correlation between the number of AgNOR per nucleus and the prognosis of ten synovial sarcomas diagnosed at Hospital A.C. Camargo from 1972 to 1986. The analysis of the results did not show a statistical correlation with the different variables. The small number of patients in this series and their morphological uniformity do not allow reaching a conclusion regarding the prognostic value of the AgNOR in synovial sarcoma. This method is inexpensive, fast and simple, and can be used in any surgical pathology laboratory. This method can be useful in the routine evaluation of cellular proliferation in small pathology laboratories.
Argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions; Synovial sarcoma
