Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: January | Volume: 9 | Issue: 1 | Pages: 215-222
Ki-67 Expression and Its Association with Conventional Prognostic Markers in Breast Carcinoma
Bhagyashri R Hungund1, Prakash R Malur2, Ashok S Godhi3, Nares Kumar Tyagi4, Arun V Joshi5
1Professor, Dept of Pathology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Nehru Nagar, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
2Consultant Pathologist, KLE’s Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Research Centre, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
3Professor, Dept of Surgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Nehru Nagar, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
4Statistician and Head of Department, Dept of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, KLE Academy of Higher Education and Research, Nehru Nagar, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
5Associate Professor, Dept of Community Medicine, BIMS, Belagavi, Karnataka, India.
Corresponding Author: Bhagyashri R Hungund
ABSTRACT
Background: Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women with varied diagnostic and clinical outcomes. The proliferative markers are evaluated in various tumours including breast carcinoma. Ki-67 is one of the most reliable markers to assess the proliferative activity and has a promising role in evaluating the prognosis of breast carcinoma. Study of its association with other prognostic markers can help in planning of treatment strategies tailoring the therapeutic regimen.
Objective: The present study is conducted to evaluate the role of Ki-67 expression in breast carcinoma and to study its association with currently used clinical, histopathological, immunohistochemical prognostic markers and Nottingham prognostic index.
Materials and Methods: 88 patients of breast carcinoma were evaluated to study Ki-67 expression and its association with various clinical, histopathological features, hormone receptor status, HER-2/neu expression and Nottingham Prognostic Index. Distributions of the various variables were expressed as percentages. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test were used to study the association of Ki-67 expression and the other variables.
Results: Among 88 cases of breast carcinoma, 30 cases (34.09%), 32 cases (36.4%) and 26 cases (29.55%) showed proliferative index of <15%, >15%-30% and >30% respectively. Right sided tumors, duration of lump (>6months), higher histological grade, HER2/neu positivity and Triple negativity showed higher proliferation index (p<0.05). Majority of the tumors with proliferation index of >30% had poor prognosis as indicated by Nottingham Prognostic index of >5.4%
Conclusion: Study of Ki-67 expression helps in predicting the clinicopathological spectrum and outcomes in breast cancer patients.
Key words: Grade, Molecular markers, Nottingham Prognostic index, histopathology, Prognosis, Proliferation