title: A comparison of proliferation indices in human anterior pituitary adenomas using formalin-fixed tissue and in vitro cell culture.
abstract: The authors compared detection methods for cell proliferation in human anterior pituitary adenomas using histological sections and dispersed cell culture. After tumor cells had been grown for 4 days in dispersed culture, bromodeoxyuridine (BUdR), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), and Ki-67 were compared by double immunostaining and contrasted with single staining of PCNA and Ki-67 indices in the corresponding histological sections from 12 human pituitary adenomas. In vitro, the BUdR labeling index was positive in six of 12 tumors (range < 0.1-5.1%), 10 of 12 tumors were PCNA-positive (range < 0.1-100%), and Ki-67 was positive in 10 of 12 adenomas (range < 0.1-8%). In vitro, BUdR and Ki-67 gave similar proliferative indices for 10 of 12 adenomas. In vivo, the PCNA labeling index was positive in 12 of 12 adenomas (range 0.9-95%) and Ki-67 was positive in 11 of 12 adenomas (range < 0.1-2%). Tumors with a labeling index less than 0.1% were considered to be negative for proliferation. High PCNA values were found in vitro and in vivo, whereas Ki-67 labeling indices were similar in vitro and in vivo for nine of 12 adenomas. It is concluded that Ki-67 proliferative indices in vivo reflect those found in vitro, at least after 4 days in dispersed culture, but that PCNA overestimates pituitary adenoma proliferation in histological sections as well as in dispersed culture.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Hull, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Atkin
authors.forename: V L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Hipkin
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Landolt
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Foy
authors.forename: R V
authors.initials: RV
authors.lastname: Jeffreys
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: White
mesh_terms: D000236:Adenoma / Q000473:pathology*; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005404:Fixatives; D005557:Formaldehyde; D006801:Humans; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D010903:Pituitary Gland, Anterior; D010911:Pituitary Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D005404:Fixatives; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D005557:Formaldehyde; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine