PROGNOSTIC VALUE OF KI67 ANTIGEN EXPRESSION IN BASAL-CELL CARCINOMAS

Recurrence of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) following treatment is a comm on event and long-term follow-up of all patients presenting with a pri mary BCC has been recommended. Proliferation indices have been recogni zed as important prognostic factors in several tumour types in a varie ty of cancer systems, being significantly elevated in more aggressive lesions. We have examined 51 BCCs (17 non-recurrent tumours [group 1], 17 original tumours which later recurred [group 2-0], and the corresp onding 17 recurrent specimens [group 2-R]) for Ki67 antigen expression , a proliferation-associated antigen using immunohistochemistry with t he monoclonal antibody MIB1, There was a significant increase in the p ercentage positive for MIB1 in the Group 2-0 as compared With the grou p 1 BCCs (P < 0.05), p53 protein expression, as assessed by immunohist ochemistry with the monoclonal antibody DO7, was similar in each group . These results show that Ki67 antigen expression differs between BCCs which later recur and BCCs that do not recur.