PROGNOSTIC ANALYSIS OF ASTROCYTIC GLIOMAS CORRELATING HISTOLOGICAL PARAMETERS WITH THE PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN LABELING INDEX (PCNA-LI)

Eighty out of 250 cases of astrocytic glioma collected from a practice served by a single clinical team over a 15-year period were studied u sing a full complement of clinical, follow-up, histopathological analy sis and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) immunostaining for t he obtention of the PCNA-labelling index (LI). A statistical evaluatio n and discriminant analysis were carried out with the aim of clarifyin g the importance of various parameters as predictors of tumor behaviou r. Data are correlated with survival (with a 10-year follow up). A sig nificant correlation with survival was found when histological groupin g and the PCNA-LI were studied with the Cox test. Most significant fea tures were histological as detected using classical techniques includi ng histological grading. The utilization of objective values (mitosis, cellular density and necrosis) appears to be useful in grading astroc ytic tumors. Our results emphasize the importance of cytological, hist ological and PCNA-LI parameters as predictors of tumor behaviour.