| Abstract: | To investigate the prognostic significance of the Ki67 (MIB1)-proliferation index and p53 over-expression in chondrosarcomas, we retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 29 patients with chondrosarcomas using immunohistochemical assays with MIB1 and p53 monoclonal antibodies on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue samples with microwave preparation. We also assessed 19 patients with benign cartilaginous tumors as a control group. There was a significant positive correlation between MIB1 index and tumor grade in chondrosarcomas, while there was no significant difference in the MIB1 index between the grade-I chondrosarcomas and the benign cartilaginous tumors. Patients categorized in the high-MIB1-index group had a significantly lower survival rate than those in the low-index group. Moreover, in analyzing the sub-set of the patients with grade-II chondrosarcomas, it was found that they could be prognostically sub-divided according to MIB1 index. The p53 index also significantly correlated with patient survival, and there was significant correlation between the MIB1 index and the p53 index. However, in multivariate analysis, only the MIB1 index and tumor grade proved to be independent prognostic indicators of chondrosarcomas. These results demonstrate that the MIB1 index can be a useful procedure for assessing tumor grade in chondrosarcomas, especially for determining the prognosis of patients with grade-II chondrosarcoma. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc. |
