MCM5和Ki-67在前列腺癌组织中的表达及意义

目的探讨微小染色体维持蛋白5(MCM5)和细胞增殖核抗原(Ki-67)在前列腺癌发生、发展中的作用。方法选择穿刺及手术切除的前列腺癌组织标本50份(肿瘤组)及良性前列腺增生组织15份(增生组),采用免疫组化技术检测两组MCM5、Ki-67的阳性表达情况[以标记指数(LI)表示],并分析两者间及与前列腺癌临床病理参数的相关性。结果肿瘤组MCM5、Ki-67的LI均明显高于增生组,P均<0.05;MCM5、Ki-67阳性表达与前列腺癌病理分级、临床分期均有相关性;前列腺癌组织中MCM5与Ki-67阳性表达呈正相关。结论 MCM5蛋白是前列腺癌组织的一种新的可靠增殖标志物,其表达水平与前列腺癌的发生、发展密切相关。     

脑胶质瘤组织中BDNF和TrkB表达及临床意义

目的探讨脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）及其受体酪氨酸激酶B（TrkB）在人脑胶质瘤发生、发展中的作用。方法选择脑胶质瘤组织标本48份（胶质瘤组）,正常脑组织48份（正常组）,采用免疫组化法检测两组BD-NF和TrkB蛋白表达,RT-PCR法检测BDNF和TrkBmRNA相对表达量,并分析BDNF和TrkB蛋白、mRNA与脑胶质瘤临床病理参数的关系,采用Spearman等级相关分析法分析BDNF、TrkB蛋白和BDNF、TrkBmRNA的相关性。结果胶质瘤组及正常组BDNF蛋白阳性率分别为77．1％．41．7％,TrkB蛋白的阳性率分别为81．2％、54．2％,两组比较P均〈0．05;胶质瘤组及正常组BDNFmRNA的相对表达量分别为0．76±0．15、0．48±0．07,TrkBmRNA的相对表达量分别为0．82±0．09、0．53±0．10,两组比较P均〈0．05。BDNF和TrkB蛋白、mRNA与脑胶质瘤病理分级相关,而与性别、年龄无关。BDNF、TrkB蛋白和BDNF、TrkBmRNA呈正相关。结论BDNF和TrkB在胶质瘤的发生、发展过程中可能起重要作用。     

MCM2和Rb蛋白在胃癌组织中的表达及临床意义

目的探讨微小染色体维持蛋白2（MCM2）和视网膜母细胞瘤易感基因（Rb）在胃癌发生、发展中的作用。方法采用免疫组化法检测MCM2和Rb蛋白在80份胃癌组织（胃癌组）、30份非典型增生组织（增生组）及20份正常胃黏膜（正常组）中的表达,以标记指数（LI）量化其阳性表达,并分析两者表达的相关性及其与胃癌临床病理特征的关系。结果胃癌组、增生组MCM2蛋白的LI明显高于正常组,Rb蛋白的LI明显低于正常组,P均〈0.05;MCM2和Rb蛋白表达与胃癌临床分期、浆膜浸润、术后复发、肝转移及淋巴结转移密切相关,与肿瘤大小及组织学类型无明显相关。胃癌组织中MCM2和Rb的LI表达呈显著负相关。结论MCM2表达升高和Rb蛋白表达下降与胃癌的发生、发展密切相关,检测MCM2和Rb有助于判断胃癌恶性程度及预后。     

Moesin、Radixin及Ki-67在子宫内膜样腺癌组织芯片中的表达及其临床意义

目的探讨Moesin、Radixin及Ki-67在子宫内膜样腺癌中的表达及其I临床意义。方法运用组织芯片技术及免疫组织化学sP法检测子宫内膜样腺癌组织中Moesin、Radixin和Ki-67的表达情况,并运用统计学方法分析染色结果与临床病理分期之间的关系。结果子宫内膜样腺癌组织中Moesin、Radixin及Ki-67的阳性表达率与正常子宫内膜组织相比差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．01）;Moesin和Radixin的表达与肿瘤浸润深度、淋巴结转移及远处转移显著相关（P〈0．05）,Ki-67的表达与肿瘤分化程度显著相关（P〈0．01）。Moesin和Radixin的表达具有相关性（P〈0．01）,二者的表达与Ki-67均无相关性（P〉0．05）。结论Moesin、Radixin和Ki-67的表达与子宫内膜样腺癌发生发展及侵袭转移有关,三者均可作为评价子宫内膜样癌的生物学行为的指标。     

大肠癌组织中Cyelin E、p27kipl和Ki-67的表达及意义

目的采用免疫组化PowerVision两步法检测137例大肠癌及其邻近正常黏膜组织中细胞周期素E（Cyclin E）、抑制因子p27kipl和核抗原-67（Ki-67）。结果：大肠癌组织中Cyclin E表达水平显著高于邻近正常黏膜组织，并与原发肿瘤浸润深度、区域淋巴结转移及TNM分期显著正相关（r分别为0．213、0．367、0．348，P均〈0．05）。大肠癌组织中p27kipl表达水平显著低于邻近正常黏膜组织，并与原发肿瘤浸润深度、区域淋巴结转移及TNM分期显著负相关（r分别为-0．345、-0.269、-0.348，P均〈0.01）。大肠癌组织中Ki-67表达水平显著高于邻近正常黏膜组织，并与区域淋巴结转移及TNM分期呈显著的正相关（r分别为0．218、0．172，P〈0．05）。大肠癌组织中Cyclin E与p27kipl表达水平显著负相关（r=-0．235，P〈0．01）；CycHn E和Ki-67表达水平显著正相关（r=0．243，P〈0．01）；大肠癌组织中p27kipl与Ki-67表达水平呈显著负相关（r=-0．172，P〈0．01）。认为Cyclin E和p27kipl是大肠癌发生及侵袭转移的正、负性因子，联合检测Cyclin E、p27kipl和Ki-67有助于判断大肠癌的生物学行为及预后判断。     

缓激肽B2受体在脑胶质瘤患者肿瘤组织中的表达及临床意义

目的 观察脑胶质瘤患者肿瘤组织内缓激肽B2受体表达水平,为临床治疗提供理论依据。方法采用WesternBlot方法测定26例脑胶质瘤患者肿瘤组织（观察组）及3份正常脑组织（对照组）的缓激肽B2受体表达水平（以整合密度表示）,并分析其与肿瘤病理级别之间的关系。结果缓激肽B2受体在对照组无表达;观察组表达水平显著高于对照组（P〈0．01）,病理分级Ⅰ、Ⅱ、Ⅲ级者表达水平依次升高,两两比较,P均〈0．01。结论缓激肽B2受体在脑胶质瘤患者肿瘤组织中的表达明显升高,且与肿瘤病理分级明显相关;检测缓激肽B2受体表达水平可作为RMP-7临床疗效评估的重要指标。     

MCM5和Ki-67在非小细胞肺癌组织中的表达及意义

目的 探讨微染色体维持蛋白5(MCM5)和Ki-67在非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)发生中的作用及机制.方法 采用免疫组化EnVision二步法检测MCM5和Ki-67在50份NSCLC组织中的表达,并分析其与NSCLC临床病理特征的关系.结果 NSCLC组织MCM5、Ki-67表达水平均高于肺良性病变组织和不典型增生组织;MCM5表达明显高于Ki-67,两者表达呈正相关;MCM5的表达与肿瘤分化程度、淋巴结转移、临床病理分期和核分裂指数显著相关(P均<0.005),与患者年龄及组织学类型无明显相关性.结论 MCM5在NSCLC的发生、发展中起重要作用,其作为NSCLC病理诊断的参考指标较Ki-67有更强的敏感性.     

甲状腺肿瘤bax和Ki-67的表达及意义

目的探讨bax和Ki-67抗原在甲状腺肿瘤组织中的表达及意义。方法选择手术切除的甲状腺癌56例、甲状腺腺瘤13例、腺瘤旁正常甲状腺组织10例,采用免疫组织化学S-P法及原位细胞凋亡技术,观察bax、Ki-67的表达情况,结合临床病理资料进行统计学分析。结果正常甲状腺、甲状腺腺瘤和甲状腺癌组织中bax阳性表达率分别为90．0％、61．54％和28．57％,Ki-67阳性表达率分别为0．23．08％和69．64％,甲状腺癌bax表达降低、Ki-67表达增高（P〈0．05）。甲状腺癌bax表达与病理类型、病理分期、淋巴结转移有关（P〈0．05）,Ki-67的表达与病理分期、淋巴结转移有关（P〈0．05）。结论bax和Ki-67表达异常对预测甲状腺癌转移和评估预后具有重要参考价值。     

乳腺浸润性导管癌组织中BRCA1、Ki-67的表达变化及意义

目的观察乳腺浸润性导管癌（IDC）组织中乳腺癌易感基因1（BRCA1）、肿瘤增殖相关基因（Ki-67）的表达变化,并探讨其意义。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测46例IDC组织中的BRCA1、Ki-67蛋白。结果IDC组织中BRCA1蛋白阳性19例（41．3％）,Ki-67蛋白阳性34例（74．9％）;BRCA1、Ki-67蛋白表达与IDC淋巴结转移和TNM分期有关（P均〈0．05）;相关分析显示,IDC组织中BRCA1、Ki-67蛋白表达呈负相关（r=-0．27,P〈0．01）。结论IDC组织中BRCA1低表达、Ki-67高表达,二者在IDC的发生发展中发挥重要作用。     

抑癌基因PTEN和Ki-67抗原在人脑胶质瘤中的表达及意义

为探讨抑癌基因PTEN和Ki-67抗原表达与脑胶质瘤发生发展的关系，采用免疫组织化学法检测了82例人脑胶质瘤中PTEN和Ki-67的表达情况。结果显示，PTEN阳性染色定位于细胞浆，82例标本中，有48例（58．54％）PTEN呈阳性表达，高分化肿瘤（I级和Ⅱ级）的阳性表达率（75．61％）明显高于低分化（Ⅲ级和Ⅳ级）肿瘤（41．46％），P＜0．005。Ki-67呈明显核染色，各级胶质瘤均有表达，低分化肿瘤（75．61％）明显高于高分化肿瘤（24．39％），P＜0．005。PTEN与Ki-67表达呈负相关（P＜0．01）。认为PTEN突变或缺失在人脑胶质瘤的发生发展中起重要作用，Ki-67可作为反映胶质瘤细胞增殖潜能的指标。PTEN和Ki-67表达与肿瘤分化程度密切相关，联合检测PTEN和ki-67在胶质瘤中的表达，有助于对肿瘤细胞增殖能力、分化程度做出正确评价，指导临床治疗及估计患者预后。     

Effects of octreotide treatment on the proliferation and apoptotic index of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas.

To investigate the effects of octreotide administration on the growth rate of GH-secreting pituitary adenomas, we measured both the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) and the apoptotic index in tumor specimens from octreotide-treated or matched untreated acromegalic patients. Thirty-nine patients who received octreotide until the day of or the day before surgery and 39 untreated patients matched for sex, age, tumor size, extension, and invasiveness were studied. Immunocytochemical analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded material using a monoclonal antibody (MIB-1) directed against a proliferation-associated nuclear antigen, Ki-67, to measure the growth fraction. Apoptosis was assessed by the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxy-UTP nick endlabeling method, using a monoclonal antibody recognizing areas of DNA fragmentation. The Ki-67 LI and apoptosis were counted on separate slides in at least 1000 evaluable cells. Octreotide-treated patients showed a lower Ki-67 LI (1.8 +/- 0.3%) than untreated controls (3.8 +/- 0.7%; P < 0.02). Overall, the mean Ki-67 LI of treated patients was 53% lower than that in untreated patients. The antiproliferative effect of octreotide occurred independently of tumor extension and invasiveness. Octreotide-treated and untreated patients showed similar apoptotic indexes (0.6 +/- 0.2% and 0.8 +/- 0.3%, respectively). There was a positive correlation between the Ki-67 LI and the apoptotic index (r = 0.29; P < 0.03). Our study demonstrates that acromegalic patients receiving chronic octreotide treatment have a lower value of the proliferation marker Ki-67, but no significant difference in the apoptotic index compared with matched untreated patients. The antiproliferative effect of octreotide on GH-secreting adenomas should imply a lower risk of tumor growth during long-term chronic treatment with the drug.     

Double Ki-67 and synaptophysin labeling in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor biopsies

BackgroundPancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) are frequently detected on endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy (EUS-FNAB) specimens. The conventional methods for evaluating the Ki-67 labeling index (Ki67LI) in EUS-FNAB specimens are laborious, and their results are difficult to interpret. More practical and easy methods for evaluating the Ki67LI in PanNETs from EUS-FNAB specimens is increasing in need.MethodsWe used double Ki-67 and synaptophysin (double Ki-Syn) antibody cocktail; Ki67LI, total Ki-67 positive cells, and total tumor cells were counted and compared with those detected on conventional single Ki-67 immunostaining (single Ki-67) of 96 PanNETs [Grade 1 (G1), 68 cases (71%); G2, 26 (27%); G3, 2 (2%)] from EUS-FNAB specimens.ResultsThe tumor grading between double Ki-Syn and single Ki-67 immunolabeling was highly concordant (correlation, 0.95; Fisher's exact test, P < 0.001). Seven EUS-FNAB specimens (7%) had discrepant results, of which 2 were removed through surgical resection and showed the same tumor grade as that detected on double Ki-Syn immunolabeling. Fifty-four specimens (56%) had higher Ki-67 positive tumor cell counts on single Ki-67 immunolabeling. Sixty-two specimens (65%) had higher total tumor cell counts on double Ki-Syn immunolabeling. The number of specimens with less than 500 total counted tumor cells were significantly reduced when double Ki-Syn immunolabeling was applied [P = 0.046; single Ki-67, 17 specimens (18%); double Ki-Syn, 9 specimens (9%)].ConclusionDouble Ki-Syn immunolabeling enables the accurate counting of the number of proliferating tumor cells without including inflammatory and contaminant epithelial cells compared with single Ki-67 immunolabeling in PanNETs from EUS-FNAB specimens.     

Ki-67 labeling index as an independent prognostic factor in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background

Although the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) is frequently used to determine the proliferative activity of malignant tumors, no consensus has been reached about its clinicopathological significance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, we sought to determine an adequate Ki-67 LI cutoff value and investigated its prognostic significance in ESCC.

Methods

The Ki-67 LI was calculated by immunohistochemistry for 49 primary tumor samples obtained from ESCC patients who had undergone curative esophagectomy, and the correlations between the Ki-67 LI and various clinicopathological features or prognosis were analyzed.

Results

The Ki-67 LI of the tumors ranged from 5.3 to 55.9?%. The mean Ki-67 LI increased from 27.4?% in pN0 tumors to 40.3?% in pN3 tumors. The 5-year survival rate decreased as the Ki-67 LI increased. When the patients were divided into two groups using an Ki-67 LI cutoff value of 35?%, the 5-year survival rate of the patients with Ki-67 LI of <35?% was 82.9?%, which was significantly higher than that of the patients with Ki-67 LI of ??35?% (35.7?%). The percentage of pN-positive tumors was significantly higher among the patients with Ki-67 LI of ??35?% (85.7?%) than in patients with Ki-67 LI of <35 (48.6?%). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that pT and pN categories and the Ki-67 LI were independent prognostic factors.

Conclusions

These observations indicate that the Ki-67 LI is correlated with lymph node metastasis and can be used as an independent prognostic factor for ESCC patients by selecting an adequate cutoff value.     

Expression and prognostic role of molecular markers in 99 KIT-positive gastric stromal tumors in Taiwanese

AIM:To elucidate the prognostic role and relationship ofthree molecular markers such as tumor suppressor genep53,proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA)and Ki-67in gastric stromal tumor.METHODS:A total of 108 surgically resected gastricsmooth muscle tumor specimens were collected fromJanuary 1987 to December 1999.Immunohistochemicalstudies were performed on the paraffin sections of 99of 108 CD117-positive tumors with antibodies of p53,PCNA,and Ki-67.Immunoreactivity of three molecularmarkers was recorded by labeling index(LI,%)and wasanalyzed for clinicopathologic and survival correlation.RESULTS:Of the 99 cases,immunostaining revealedthat 52 patients(52.5%)had p53,and 37 patients(37.3%)had Ki-67 immunoreactivity(defined as>10%of LI).All patients(100%)had PCNA immunoreactivityranging from 12% to 93% of LI,divided into high orlow by median.Statistics revealed that LI of threemarkers positively correlate to each other(P<0.01)and to microscopic tumor mitotic counts(P<0.001).By combination,patients with≥2 markers(positiveor high)in tumors had early tumor recurrence(P<0.001)and unfavorable outcome(P<0.001).Univariate analysis indicated that patients with tumorsize>5 cm(P=0.003),tumor mitosis>5/50 HPF(P<0.001),p53 immunoreacUvity(P=0.001),Ki-67 immunoreactivity(P=0.026),high PCNA LI(P=0.015)and male gender(P=0.036)were six predictors for earlydisease recurrence.Subsequent multivariate analysisrevealed that mitotic counts,tumor size,and p53immunoreactivity were three independent prognosticfactors for both disease free and overall survival ofpatients.By combination of three independent prognosticfactors for grouping,we found higher tumor recurrencerate(P<0.001)and shorter survival(P<0.001)existed ingroups with increasing factors.CONCLUSION:We first provide the prognostic valueand linkage of three molecular markers in GISTs.Thecombination of three factors(p53,tumor size,andtumor mitosis)provides a more powerful prediction ofprognosis than any single factor does.     

Ki-67 as a prognostic marker in colorectal cancer but not in gastric cancer

The growth of tumors is highly variable and this probably reflects even its clinical course. The monoclonal antibody Ki-67 recognises an antigen present in the nuclei of cells in all phases of the cell cycle except G0. In the current study, we examined by immunohistochemistry the proliferative activity, based on Ki-67 labeling index (Ki67LI), in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections of 152 tumors, being 70 gastric and 89 colorectal cancers. The results obtained were correlated with the clinicopathologic factors. The carcinomas showed a wide range of Ki-67LI, reflecting a variation in proliferative activity. The tumor labeling index ranged from 10 to 85 per cent positivity, being the mean level in gastric cancer tissue 0.52 and in colorectal cancer 0.44. There was also heterogeneity of labeling within many of the tumors. No significant correlation was found between Ki-67LI and sex, age, clinical stage in these cancers. In colorectal cancer, but not in gastric cancer, high levels of Ki67LI have been correlated with poor survival. Ki-67 staining is a simple and useful method for estimating proliferative activity. The importance of Ki-67 as an indicator of tumor behaviour is not clear. In colorectal cancer this index may be used as a marker of prognosis.     

Incidence of apoptosis increases with age in colorectal cancer

The incidence of cancer increases with advancing age, but the biological behavior of cancer is known to be less aggressive in elderly people. Thus, the proliferative activity and extent of apoptosis of cancer cells were assessed in samples from 163 cases of colorectal cancer focusing on the age of patients, using Ki-67 labeling index (LI) and apoptotic index (AI) by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated d-UTP nick end labeling method and staining for activated caspase-3.

The Ki-67 LI of colorectal cancer ranged from 2.33 to 80.4% (mean 32.2%), while the AI ranged from 0.00 to 14.8% (mean 3.57%). Concerning the aging effect, linear and positive correlations were found for the Ki-67 LI of cancer with age (p<0.05) and the AI of cancer with age (p<0.05). However, in normal colorectal mucosa, aging of patients revealed a significant correlation only with the AI but not with the Ki-67 LI. The AI in earlier stages of cancers (stages 0 and 1) revealed a significant difference between younger cases (age<65) and more elderly cases (age≥65) (p<0.05), however, the Ki-67 LI did not exhibit a significant difference. Therefore, an increased frequency of apoptosis in colorectal cancer tissues, especially in the earlier stages, may possibly explain the slower growth of colorectal cancers in the elderly. Next, the expressions of several regulatory molecules for the proliferation/apoptosis of tumor cells were determined. The results demonstrated a tendency for stronger and more frequent expressions of c-myc, Bak and Bax despite a rather weaker expression of Bcl-2 in cancer tissues from the elderly compared with those from the younger patients. The potential roles of these regulatory molecules on age-change in the proliferation/apoptosis of colorectal cancers are discussed.     

EGFR LI and Ki-67 LI are independent prognostic parameters influencing survivals of surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer patients

In literature there are still opinion differences concerning the prognostic significance of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression and proliferative potential in patients with non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This prompted us to study those parameters. The Ki-67 labeling index (Ki-67 LI), EGFR labeling index (EGFR LI), and mitotic index (MI) were analyzed in the group of 78 consecutive, surgically treated squamous cell lung cancer (SqCLC) patients. The expression of Ki-67 and EGFR protein was visualized on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections using immunohistochemistry (IHC). Mitotic index was assessed on formalin fixed, paraffin embedded sections, stained with hematoxylin and eosin using morphological criteria. Mean values of Ki-67 LI and MI were higher for G2+G3 tumors than for G1 tumors. EGFR LI was higher for G1+G2 than for G3 tumors, and for pT3 than for pT1+pT2 tumors. Patients having tumors with Ki-67 < or =28% or (EGFR LI < or =13% or EGFR LI >80%) survived significantly shorter than those having tumors with Ki-67 LI >28% or 13%< EGFR LI < or =80%. In multivariate analysis, 13%> or = EGFR LI <80% and Ki-67 LI < or =28% were independent negative prognostic parameters influencing survivals of SqCLC patients.     

Transforming growth factor beta 1 and metalloproteinase-9 overexpression in colorectal cancer (CC) and adenoma

Background and aims Although the role of transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) 1 and metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is well documented in colorectal cancer (CC), there is a little evidence supporting its role in early carcinogenesis. The aim of the study was to determine the pattern of immunohistochemical expression of TGFbeta1, MMP-9, and Ki-67 in CC and adenomatous polyps. Patient/methods The study group comprised 50 patients with colorectal polyps and 33 patients with CC. Endoscopically removed polyps and CC biopsies had been evaluated with histopatologic examination and immunohistochemistry. The biopsies from 30 healthy objects served as a control group. For all antibodies labeling indices (LI) had been calculated. Results Among 62 adenomas, 33 high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and 29 low-grade dysplasia (LGD) had been detected. Mean TGFbeta1, MMP-9, and Ki-67 LI in CC were significantly higher (p < 0.01, 0.01, and 0.01, respectively) than in HGD polyps. Mean TGFbeta1, MMP-9, and Ki-67 LI in HGD polyps were significantly higher than in LGD polyps (p < 0.01, 0.01, and 0.01, respectively). There had been no statistical difference in TGFbeta1, MMP-9, and Ki-67 LI between LGD and the control group (p > 0.05, 0.05, and 0.05, respectively). There was a positive correlation between TGFbeta1 and MMP-9 (r = 0.898), Ki-67 and MMP-9 (r = 0.938), and TGFbeta1 and Ki-67 (r = 0.913). We did not observe any correlation between TGFbeta1, MMP-9, Ki-67 LI and the clinical parameters evaluated. Conclusion The increased expression of TGFbeta1, MMP-9 observed in colorectal adenomas seems to be related to the grade of dysplasia. We assume that overexpression of TGFbeta1, MMP-9 represent an early event in colorectal carcinogenesis and may possibly have the prognostic value.     

Evaluation of Ki-67 and p53 expression in primary and repeated liver metastases of GISTs

There has been little research evaluating changes related to tumor cell proliferation between primary and metastatic tumors of gastrointestinal tumors in the same case. We herein report the case of a 50-year-old woman with a gastric gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST), who developed metastatic liver tumors three times in the 7 years after proximal gastrectomy for GIST. The primary and all the metastatic liver tumors, except the second, showed fascicular/storiform architecture and the short spindle cell type. The diffuse epithelioid cell proliferation was observed in the second metastatic liver tumor. Although the immunostaining pattern with respect to GIST differentiation markers had been preserved in the primary tumor as well as in all of the metastatic tumors, the latter showed weaker positivity of both Ki-67 and p53 than the primary GIST. The primary tumor showed diffuse positive p53, and the highest value of Ki-67 labeling index (LI) among them. The metastatic liver tumors showed focal, negative or sporadic positive appearances of p53, however, Ki-67 LI were scattering among them. Immunohistochemical assessment of Ki-67 LI and p53 might be useful for evaluating changes related to tumor cell proliferation between primary and metastatic tumors of GISTs.