Prognostic value of Ki-67 expression in 182 soft tissue sarcomas. Proliferation--a marker of metastasis?

Summary, in English

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are characterized by deregulated proliferation. Ki-67 is a cell cycle antigen which may be elevated in proliferative states. We analysed Ki-67 expression in fixed and embedded tissues from STS in order to examine associations between proliferation, primary tumour characteristics, and metastasis. One hundred and eighty-two adult patients with trunk wall or extremity STS were treated at our institution between 1980 and 1992 (35 developed local recurrence and 56 developed metastases). Median follow-up time for survivors was 6 years (1-13). We used a semiquantitative score to the assess percentage of Ki-67-positive cells: < or = 10% (n = 86), > 10-25% (n = 57), > 25-50% (n = 30), > 50-75% (n = 7), > 75-100% (n = 2). Increasing Ki-67 expression correlated positively with tumour size, malignancy grade, necrosis, vascular invasion, S-phase fraction, and metastasis. A Ki-67 index Ki-D < or = 10% (n = 86) and > 10% (n = 96) defined two groups who had 84% and 56% 3-year metastasis-free survival (p = 0.0001), respectively. Tumours with Ki-D > 10 were typically large, high grade, necrotic, DNA aneuploid, and had intravascular invasion and a higher S-phase fraction. Ki-67 expression may be helpful in predicting survival of patients with soft tissue sarcomas.

• Author: P F Choong; Måns Åkerman; H Willen; C Andersson; P Gustafson; Bo Baldetorp; Mårten Fernö; Thor Alvegård; Anders Rydholm
• Department/s: Tumor microenvironment; Breastcancer-genetics; Medical oncology; Orthopaedics (Lund)
• Publishing year: 1994
• Language: English
• Pages: 915-924
• Publication/Series: APMIS : acta pathologica, microbiologica, et immunologica Scandinavica
• Volume: 102
• Issue: 12
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc.
• Topic: Cancer and Oncology
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 1600-0463