[Adrenocortical tumors: mitotic index and nuclear size as criteria for differential diagnosis and prognosis].

A comparative study of the mitotic index (MI) and karyometric indices in 15 adrenocortical tumors with clinical syndrome of hypercorticism allowed to distinguish between adenomas and carcinomas. Carcinomas with hypercorticoidism symptoms have common features with inactive carcinomas but are different by lower expression of malignancy criteria (polymorphism, atypia, necrotic foci, capsule and vessel invasion), higher MI, increasing deficiency of cell division and larger nuclear size of tumor cells. Such tumors may be included into the prognostic group of risk.