HISTOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY

Cellular and Molecular Biology











Prognostic significance of metallothionein expression in correlation with Ki-67 expression in adenocarcinomas of large intestine

P. Dziegiel1, J. Forgacz2, E. Suder3, P. Surowiak1, J. Kornafel4 and M. Zabel1,5

1Chair and Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw , Poland, 2Lower Silesia Centre of Oncology, Wroclaw, Poland, 3Chair and Department of Anatomy, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, 4Chair of Oncology and Department of Gynaecologic Oncology, Wroclaw, Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland, 5Chair of Histology and Embryology, Poznan Medical University, Poznan, Poland

Offprint requests to: Piotr Dziegiel, Chair and Department of Histology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. Chalubi´nskiego 6a, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland. Fax: (4871)784-00-82. e-mail: piotr@hist.am.wroc.pl

 

Summary. The study aimed at determining levels of metallothionein (MT) and Ki-67 antigen expression in adenocarcinomas of large intestine and examining relation of the expression levels with various clinical and pathological variables. The studies were performed on 81 cases of large intestine adenocarcinoma. Using immunocytochemistry, expressions of MT (positive reaction in 73 cases) and of Ki-67 (positive reaction in 79 cases) antigen were examined and the obtained results were compared with, i.a., grade (G) of the tumour and depth to which intestinal wall was infiltrated by individual tumours. Patient survival analysis was also performed, as correlated to expression levels of the two antigens. The obtained results permitted to disclose that the lower was grade of histological differentiation (G2, G3), the more pronounced was expression of MT and Ki-67. Also, the deeper was neoplastic infiltration of intestinal wall, the more pronounced was MT and Ki-67 expression. Despite the relatively strong correlation between MT expression and Ki-67 expression (r=0.536; p<0.05), only Ki-67 antigen expression in large intestine adenocarcinomas was inversely correlated to survival of the patients. Ki-67 proved to be a better prognostic marker, as compared to MT, in large intestine adenocarcinomas. Histol. Histopathol. 18, 401-407 (2003)

Key words: Metallothionein, Ki-67, Large intestine adenocarcinoma

DOI: 10.14670/HH-18.401