Standardized AgNOR analysis: its usefulness in surgical oncology.

Recent improvements both in the staining quality and computer-aided quantitation of silver-stained nucleolar organizer region (AgNOR)-associated proteins offer the possibility to reliably investigate these proteins on routinely processed archival material. This article deals with the historical background, the recent introduction of a standardized quantitation, the clinical relevance, and future perspective for AgNOR evaluation. It is specifically emphasized that AgNOR analysis after both standardized staining and computer-aided quantitation (as recommended by the Committee on AgNOR Quantitation of the European Society of Pathology) is now regarded as the gold standard whenever routinely formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded material is investigated.