A cross-sectional analytical study assessing apoptotic index as a marker of disease progression in cervical dysplasia

Sep 22, 2026

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Cervical cancer remains a major malignancy in women, and cervical dysplasia acts as a key precursor. This cross-sectional analytical study evaluates apoptotic index (AI) across grades of cervical epithelial dysplasia by analyzing histopathology slides from 140 cases collected between March 2021 and February 2022. Statistical comparisons show significant differences between mild and severe dysplasia, with higher AI values progressing from squamous metaplasia to overtly malignant cervical lesions. Findings support AI as a marker with clinical and prognostic relevance for premalignant and malignant progression.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Methods

Statistical analysis

Results

Conclusion

Research A cross-sectional analytical study assessing apoptotic index as a marker of disease progression in cervical dysplasia Trupti Amol Dongre, Pragati Jayant Karmarkar, Vidula Prashant Gowardhan, Shilpa Hajare Corresponding author: Trupti Amol Dongre, Department of Pathology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, [India. truptidongre@gmail.com](India. truptidongre@gmail.com) [Received:](Received: 27 Jan 2025-Accepted: 31 Jan 2026-Published: 13 Feb 2026)[ 27 Jan 2025-](Received: 27 Jan 2025-Accepted: 31 Jan 2026-Published: 13 Feb 2026)[Accepted:](Received: 27 Jan 2025-Accepted: 31 Jan 2026-Published: 13 Feb 2026)[ 31 Jan 2026-](Received: 27 Jan 2025-Accepted: 31 Jan 2026-Published: 13 Feb 2026)[Published:](Received: 27 Jan 2025-Accepted: 31 Jan 2026-Published: 13 Feb 2026)[ 13 Feb 2026](Received: 27 Jan 2025-Accepted: 31 Jan 2026-Published: 13 Feb 2026) [Keywords:](Keywords: Apoptosis)[ Apoptosis](Keywords: Apoptosis), apoptotic index, cervical epithelial dysplasia, cervical malignancy Funding: This work received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors. Copyright: Trupti Amol Dongre et al. Pan African Medical Journal (ISSN: 1937-8688) . This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 License ( [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Cite this article: Trupti Amol Dongre et al. A cross-sectional analytical study assessing apoptotic index as a marker of disease progression in cervical dysplasia. Pan African Medical Journal. 2026;53(81) . 10. 11604/pamj.2026.53.81.46693 Available online at: [https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com//content/article/53/81/full](https://www.panafrican-med-journal.com//content/article/53/81/full) A cross-sectional analytical study assessing apoptotic index as a marker of disease progression in cervical dysplasia Trupti Amol Dongre1,&, Pragati Jayant Karmarkar1, Vidula Prashant Gowardhan1, Shilpa Hajare2 1 Department of Pathology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, 2 Department of Community Medicine, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India &Corresponding author Trupti Amol Dongre, Department of Pathology, NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre and Lata Mangeshkar Hospital, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India Abstract Introduction: cervical cancer is a major malignancy in women. In cancer cells, there is an equilibrium between cell proliferation and apoptosis. Defects in this pathway allow cells to replicate. Therefore, the apoptotic index (AI) can be used to assess dysplasia. The aim of this study was to assess the apoptotic index of various grades of cervical epithelial dysplasia. Methods: slides were retrieved from women with gynaecological complaints undergoing cervical biopsy or hysterectomy at a tertiary care hospital. The histopathology slides of 140 cases were studied from March 2021 to Feb 2022. Statistical analysis: we used SocSciStatistics for calculations. The slides were examined using Olympus microscope CH 20i at 40X magnification. Five fields were selected from each slide and the number of epithelial cells was counted. The apoptotic bodies were counted and evaluated. Apoptotic index was calculated asthe number of apoptotic bodies/the total number of cells in one field, which was expressed as percentage (%). Results: a significant difference was observed between the mild and severe dysplasia groups. In squamous metaplasia, the mean AI was 1.03, while in mild cervical dysplasia it was 1.51. For moderate cervical dysplasia,

FAQs

What does the study use to evaluate disease progression in cervical dysplasia?

The study uses the apoptotic index (AI), calculated from apoptotic bodies relative to total epithelial cells in selected microscopic fields.

How were the histopathology slides collected for the study?

Slides were retrieved from women with gynecological complaints who underwent cervical biopsy or hysterectomy at a tertiary care hospital.

What trend in AI did the study observe across dysplasia grades?

Mean AI increased with severity: values were reported for squamous metaplasia, mild, moderate, severe dysplasia, and overtly malignant cervical lesions.

Sep 22, 2026

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