title: The Ki-67 labeling index is not a useful predictor for the follow-up of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 1.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Our aim was to determine whether the Ki-67 immunostaining pattern, present on diagnosis of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN), predicts the change from low-grade to high-grade CIN over a 2-year period after diagnosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of 59 cervical biopsy samples from 59 patients diagnosed as having cervical CIN, 35 were diagnosed as CIN 1 and 24 were diagnosed as CIN 2 or CIN 3. The Ki-67 immunostain showed immunopositive cells in the upper two thirds of the epithelium in all specimens. Two hundred nuclei were counted in 25 high-power fields in each specimen, including all of the epithelial layers, to determine the mean number of Ki-67-positive cells. In situ hybridization was used to demonstrate and type human papillomavirus. The chi test, Fisher exact test, Student t test, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey test were used for statistical analysis, with significance set at p < .05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean Ki-67 labeling index for CIN 1, CIN 2, CIN 3, and CIN 2,3 were, respectively, 32.5%, 43.2%, 53.2%, and 47.8%. The statistical study showed significant differences between CIN 1 versus CIN 2, CIN 1 versus CIN 3, and CIN 1 versus CIN 2,3. For CIN 1, the mean Ki-67 labeling index was 32.8% when the lesion disappeared and was 34.6% for persisting lesions. There was no statistically significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ki-67 labeling index did not predict persisting CIN 1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Hospital Del Mar, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. 86780@imas.imim.es
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Alameda
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fuste
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boluda
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrer
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Baro
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mariñoso
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancebo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carreras
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Serrano