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. 2023 Jul 14;15(7):e41865.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.41865. eCollection 2023 Jul.

Association of Proliferative Indices With Various Grades of Breast Carcinoma

Seema Awasthi  1 , Pooja Gupta  1 , Ankita Mittal  1
Affiliations

Association of Proliferative Indices With Various Grades of Breast Carcinoma

Seema Awasthi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Aims and objectives: Various grades of breast carcinoma and proliferative indices used as nuclear protein Ki-67 and argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR) are being compared to each other.

Materials and method: In this observational cross-sectional investigation, 42 breast biopsies from questionable breast areas were collected and preserved in formalin and paraffin before the tissue blocks were made. A thorough medical history regarding the breast tumor and thorough physical examination results were recorded. Two sections were produced, one stained with an immunohistochemical marker called Ki-67 and the other with a unique stain called AgNOR.

Results: Grade I in Nottingham was found to be highest in subjects with Ki-67 1%, grade II in subjects with Ki-67 1-10%, and grade III in subjects with Ki-67>10%. Therefore, a higher Ki-67 score and a higher Nottingham grade were more closely associated. The mean AgNOR score was determined to be highest in Nottingham grade III and lowest in Nottingham grade I. In contrast to grade I and grade II of carcinoma (CA) breast, where there was no statistically significant association between Ki-67 and AgNOR, grade III of CA breast showed a statistically significant link between Ki-67 and AgNOR.

Conclusion: Proliferation has been identified as a distinctive feature of cancer and as a key factor in the prognosis of the disease.

Keywords: agnor; carcinoma; indices; ki-67; proliferative.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma showing mean AgNOR count of range 6-8
AgNOR: argyrophilic nucleolar organizer regions
Figure 2
Figure 2. Grade 3 invasive ductal carcinoma showing score 4 nuclear staining for Ki-67 marker
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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