title: Determination of proliferation index in advanced ovarian cancer using quantitative image analysis.
abstract: It has been shown that the monoclonal antibody Ki-67 reacts with a nuclear antigen that is expressed only by proliferating cells. The feasibility of using image analysis to quantitate Ki-67 staining (proliferation index [PI]) of epithelial ovarian cancers was investigated. The PI was determined in 50 advanced-stage primary ovarian cancers. Frozen sections were immunostained with the Ki-67 monoclonal antibody, and the PI was calculated using static image analysis. Among 35 stage III ovarian carcinomas, the median PI was 8.9%, compared with 17.7% in 15 stage IV cancers (P = 0.06). There was no relationship between PI and histologic grade. The median survival time of 32 patients whose cancers had a high Ki-67 expression (> or = 7.5%) was 16.8 months, which differed significantly (P < 0.01) from the median survival of 31.5 months observed in patients whose tumors demonstrated low Ki-67 expression (< 7.5%). Quantitative image analysis of Ki-67-stained fresh-frozen ovarian cancers may provide useful prognostic information. Further studies are warranted to investigate the relationship between Ki-67 expression and other known clinicopathologic and genetic features of ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kerns
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pence
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Kohler
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Bast
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Kinney
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berchuck
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D007700:Kinetics; D008940:Mitotic Index; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins