PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN (PCNA) IN HIGH-GRADE MALIGNANT FIBROUS HISTIOCYTOMA - PROGNOSTIC VALUE IN 48 PATIENTS

Grading based on histopathologic features is used to predict survival in soft-tissue sarcoma. However, variations in clinical behavior betwe en tumors of the same grade motivate a search for additional factors t hat correlate with prognosis. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA ) is expressed in proliferating cells during the G(1), S and G(2)-phas es. To evaluate a prognostic implication of PCNA, the tumors of 48 pat ients with malignant fibrous histiocytomas (13 grade III, 35 grade IV) with a minimum follow-up of 2 years were immunohistochemically studie d. We used PC10, a monoclonal antibody (MAb) directed against PCNA, wh ich allows cell proliferation in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tum or tissue to be evaluated. We applied a semi-quantitative PCNA grading scheme to all stained nuclei of an entire slide. The 3-year metastasi s-free survival rate was 0.87 for patients in grade A (low PLNA rate), and 0.14 for patients in grade C (high PLNA). Our findings show that immunohistochemical evaluation of cell kinetics in soft-tissue sarcoma s by PCNA might be a useful adjunct to conventional tumor grading. (C) 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.