Prognostic significance of Ki-67 labeling indices obtained using MIB-1 monoclonal antibody in patients with supratentorial astrocytomas.

BACKGROUND

Identification of the prognosis of patients with gliomas is important for selecting and evaluating the effectiveness of treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) using the newly generated MIB-1 monoclonal antibody (MoAb) as a prognostic indicator for patients with astrocytomas.

METHODS

Ki-67 immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin sections to estimate the growth potential of 72 supratentorial astrocytomas using the MIB-1 MoAb after hydrated autoclaving treatment. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard stepwise model was used to evaluate the influence of Ki-67 LI, as well as other prognostic factors, on the duration of survival of patients with supratentorial astrocytomas.

RESULTS

The mean Ki-67 LI was 3.8% (+/- 2.7%; standard deviation [SD]) in Grade 2 gliomas (n = 19), 18.4% (+/- 9.7% SD) in Grade 3 gliomas (n = 25), and 31.6% (+/- 12.9% SD) in Grade 4 gliomas (n = 28). Multivariate survival analysis showed that histologic grade, Ki-67 LI, and Karnofsky performance status (KPS) score before and after treatment were independent, statistically significant prognostic factors for patients with all grades of astrocytomas. In high grade lesions, Ki-67 LI, tumor location (superficial vs. deep), and KPS score after treatment were significant prognostic variables, whereas histologic grade did not meet the significance level for entry into the stepwise model.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that the Ki-67 LI obtained using MIB-1 MoAb is an important and practical tool for estimating biologic behavior of gliomas, as well as for predicting survival.