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. 2008 Oct 7;99(7):1121-8.
doi: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6604633. Epub 2008 Sep 2.

Ki-67 expression predicts locoregional recurrence in stage I oral tongue carcinoma

D Wangsa  1 , M Ryott, E Avall-Lundqvist, F Petersson, G Elmberger, J Luo, T Ried, G Auer, E Munck-Wikland
Affiliations

Ki-67 expression predicts locoregional recurrence in stage I oral tongue carcinoma

D Wangsa et al. Br J Cancer. .

Abstract

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is an aggressive cancer associated with poor prognosis. Methods for determining the aggressiveness of OTSCC from analysis of the primary tumour specimen are thus highly desirable. We investigated whether genomic instability and proliferative activity (by means of Ki-67 activity) could be of clinical use for prediction of locoregional recurrence in 76 pretreatment OTSCC paraffin samples (stage I, n=22; stage II, n=33; stage III, n=8; stage IV, n=13). Eleven surgical tumour specimens were also analysed for remnants of proliferative activity after preoperative radiotherapy. Ninety-seven percent of cases (n=72) were characterised as being aneuploid as measured by means of image cytometry. Preoperative radiotherapy (50-68 Gy) resulted in significant reduction of proliferative activity in all patients for which post-treatment biopsies were available (P-value=0.001). Proliferative activity was not associated with response to radiation in stage II patients. However, we report a significant correlation between high proliferation rates and locoregional recurrences in stage I OTSCC patients (P-value=0.028). High-proliferative activity is thus related to an elevated risk of recurrence after surgery alone. We therefore conclude that Ki-67 expression level is a potentially useful clinical marker for predicting recurrence in surgically treated stage I OTSCC.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Pictorial presentation of specimen accrual, treatment and experimental design. UICC refers to International Union Again Cancer.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Immunohistochemical detection in primary pretreatment biopsies of: (A) a low percentage (17%) of Ki-67-positive nuclear staining; (B) a high percentage (93%) of Ki-67-positive nuclear staining.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Kaplan–Meier survival estimates in relation to (A) Ki-67-expression variables (0–32, 33–100) in stage I oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC); (B) Ki-67-expression variables (0–50, 51–100) in stage I OTSCC; (C) Ki-67-expression variables (0–32, 33–100) in stage II OTSCC; (D) Ki-67-expression variables (0–50, 51–100) in stage II OTSCC.
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