title: Determination of the proliferative potential of human brain tumors using the monoclonal antibody Ki-67.
abstract: The proliferative activity of 133 human tumors of the nervous system was investigated by means of immunohistochemistry using the monoclonal antibody Ki-67 in order to evaluate the usefulness of this method for histopathological tumor grading. Ki-67 recognizes a proliferation-associated nuclear antigen present in human cells during all active phases of the cell cycle but absent in the G0 phase [Gerdes J, Schwab U, Lemke H, Stein H (1983) Int J Cancer 31:13-20]. In 28 WHO grade I and II gliomas of all major types Ki-67 indices were generally low with mean values ranging from less than 1% in pilocytic astrocytomas to 4.2% in grade II oligodendrogliomas. Individual cases of grade II astrocytomas and oligodendrogliomas had, however, values up to 8.5%. In 13 primary anaplastic gliomas of WHO grade III consistently higher statistical means were obtained with values ranging from 8.6% for anaplastic astrocytomas to 14.2% for anaplastic mixed gliomas. Interestingly, 18 WHO grade IV glioblastomas demonstrated a mean value of only 7%, which is probably due to the pronounced phenothypic heterogeneity in this tumor group. This heterogeneity results in enormous intra- and intertumor variability in Ki-67 indices (range less than 1%-22.1%). Investigation of 17 recurrent gliomas revealed mean values for Ki-67 ranging from 1.7% for three WHO grade II astrocytomas up to 48.5% obtained in two highly anaplastic recurrent astrocytomas corresponding to WHO grade IV. Other tumors of the nervous system evaluated included 9 medulloblastomas (mean 17.9%, range 5.0%-42.0%), 17 benign meningiomas (mean 1.1%, range 0%-5%), 15 metastatic carcinomas (mean 16.5%, range less than 1%-46.0%), and individual tumors of various types. Our results indicate that Ki-67 immunohistochemistry can add useful additional information for histopathological grading which, by supplementing and refining the traditional WHO grading system, might lead to a better assessment of the biological behaviour of human tumors of the nervous system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuropathology, University of Düsseldorf, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deckert
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reifenberger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wechsler
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000473:pathology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D002455:Cell Division; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000032:analysis; D004806:Ependymoma / Q000473:pathology; D005629:Frozen Sections; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008527:Medulloblastoma / Q000473:pathology; D008579:Meningioma / Q000473:pathology; D009837:Oligodendroglioma / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor