Premium
Ki‐67 immunostaining in 322 primary breast cancers: Associations with clinical and pathological variables and prognosis
Author(s) -
Molino Annamaria,
Micciolo Rocco,
Turazza Monica,
Bonetti Franco,
Piubello Quirino,
Bonetti Andrea,
Nortilli Rolando,
Pelosi Giuseppe,
Cetto Gian Luigi
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0215(19970822)74:4<433::aid-ijc12>3.0.co;2-a
Subject(s) - breast cancer , ki 67 , pathological , medicine , oncology , immunohistochemistry , immunostaining , progesterone receptor , estrogen receptor , cancer , mammary gland , stage (stratigraphy) , pathology , estrogen , multivariate analysis , biology , paleontology
Cell‐proliferation markers are very important in the clinical management of cancer patients, and the identification of Ki‐67 (a monoclonal antibody that recognizes proliferating cells) can make it easier to define the level of proliferative activity. This study investigated the associations between the Ki‐67 levels measured by means of immunohistochemistry, and other clinical and pathological variables and prognosis in 322 breast‐cancer patients. A significant association was found ( p < 0.001) between Ki‐67 values and tumor size, nodal status, estrogen and progesterone receptor status; multivariate analysis showed that Ki‐67 levels were associated with disease‐free and overall survival, thus confirming that it is an independent prognostic variable. Various statistical approaches were used in an attempt to establish the best cut‐off point for dividing patients into groups at high or low risk of relapse but, in this series, we could find no evidence leading to a single “best” cut‐off point. We conclude that the quantitative level of Ki‐67 could be used as a prognostic factor in breast‐cancer patients. Int. J. Cancer 74:433–437, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.