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Cone biopsies were carried out in patients (n = 72) with intraepithelial lesions (CIN 1-3) and squamous microinvasive carcinomas of the uterine cervix. Intraoperative histological examination was achieved in order to obtain small cones with healthy upper resection margins. Also, a tissue fragment was sampled and frozen for the immunocytochemical investigations. Image analysis (SAMBA) of immunoprecipitates was used to evaluate c-myc and Ki-67 antigen expression. Positive c-myc protein staining was observed only on microinvasive carcinomas (70%) and CIN 3 lesions (19%) and was correlated with high Ki-67 immunoreactivity. Ki-67 immunostaining was more extensive: (i) in high-grade than low-grade CIN, (ii) in microinvasive carcinomas than in CIN (P < or = 0.01), (iii) in large than in small lesions. No correlation could be found between the levels of either c-myc protein or Ki-67 antigen expression and either patient age or cytological features of HPV infection.

Immunocytochemical assay (ICAs) were performed on frozen sections from human endometrial samples (n = 89) including normal endometrium, decidua, hyperplasia with and without atypia, and carcinomas. Monoclonal antiestrogen receptor (ER), anti-laminin (Lam), anti-type IV collagen (Coll IV), and anti-Ki67 were applied with avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex or peroxidase-antiperoxidase complex. The results of the ICAs were evaluated through a computerized system of image analysis referred to as SAMBA. It was shown that this system provided for an accurate reliable and reproducible analysis of ICAs in tissue sections. It is concluded that this multiparametric and standardized method of analysis of ICAs can further be applied in correlations with clinical and biochemical data.