Spatial distribution of mitosis, apoptosis and small blood vessels in malignant diffuse follicular‐center‐cell lymphomas: A nearest‐neighbor analysis

To better comprehend the relationships between cell birth and cell death in neoplastic disorders, the topography of these events needs to be considered. We applied a computerized nearest‐neighbor analysis to malignant, diffuse follicular‐center‐cell lymphomas in order to examine the spatial distribution of pyknotic (apoptotic) cells/bodies (A) and mitotic figures (M) in relation to capillaries (C) and venules (V). The results revealed a complex dispersion pattern, with significant aggregations of A and M, in addition to an even greater random distribution component. The greatest clustering displayed by A was around capillaries (A‐C, 42% reduction of object frequency between the first and second distance class), followed by A‐A (33%), A‐V (24%) and A‐M (12%). Additional values for mitotic figures were: M‐M (45%), M‐V (33%) and M‐C (22%). These findings may reflect the relative importance of inherent properties of the neoplastic and host factors, respectively, in the regulation of cell birth and cell death rates. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Copyright © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc., A Wiley Company