title: Assessment of proliferative rate of breast cancer by Ki-67 monoclonal antibody.
abstract: The proliferative activity of 163 primary breast cancers was assessed by immunocytochemistry with the mouse monoclonal antibody Ki-67, which recognizes a nuclear antigen expressed in all phases of the cell cycle except for Go. The overall frequency distribution of Ki-67 staining was of exponential type, with percentage of positive staining cells ranging from 0.3 to 88.3%, with a median value of 10.1%. No relationship was observed between Ki-67 values and menopausal status of patients. A significant positive correlation was found between Ki-67 values and tumor grade, especially mitotic grade. Estrogen Receptors (ER) were assayed by immunocytochemistry with ER-ICA method and by dextran-coated charcoal method (DCC) in 129 and 141 tumors, respectively. A negative correlation was found between the ER content by both methods and Ki-67 score. Eighty-nine percent of cases with Ki-67 value less than 10.1% contained more than 10% ER-ICA-positive cells. Progesterone receptors (PgR) were assayed by immunocytochemistry with PgR-ICA method and by DCC in 62 and 141 tumors, respectively. A negative correlation was observed between the PgR content by both methods and Ki-67 score. No correlation was found between Ki-67 score and lymph node involvement by tumor. These findings suggests that Ki-67 score could be used as an independent prognostic marker, useful to distinguish different risk for recurrence within the two clinically heterogeneous groups of N- and N+ patients.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Anatomia, Università di Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Querzoli
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marzola
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bagni
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferretti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fabris
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nenci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000912:Antibodies, Neoplasm; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone