Relationship between DNA ploidy,expression of ki-67 antigen and gastric cancer metastasis

AIM To evaluate the relationship between the expression of Ki 67 antigen and the pathobiological behaviours of gastric cancers especially their distant metastases. METHODS Fifty six specimens of gastric cancer routinely fixed in formalin and embedded in paraffin (FFEP) were studied by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS Expression of Ki 67 antigen was significantly related to the distant metastases to liver, ovary and adrenal gland ( P <0 005), but not related to the histological type, growth pattern, depth of invasion, histological differentiation and the metastases to local lymph nodes ( P >0 05). Furthermore, the Ki 67 antigen expression was significantly related to the DNA aneuploidy pattern, which is closely related to poor prognosis ( P <0 05). CONCLUSION Overexpression of Ki 67 can be used as an objective marker of the proliferative activity for predicting prognosis of gastric cancer and metastatic potential to distant organs.