IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL BCL-2 AND KI-67 EXPRESSION PREDICT SURVIVAL IN PROSTATE-CANCER PATIENTS FOLLOWED EXPECTANTLY

The prognostic value of BCL-2 expression, solely and combined with Ki- 67 expression, was determined in prostate cancer patients followed exp ectantly. Furthermore, associations with well established prognostic m arkers were tested. Formalin fixed, paraffin-embedded tumour tissue ob tained at diagnosis was immunohistochemically investigated in 221 pati ents with a 15 y median followup time. BCL-2 protein was expressed in 114 (52%) tumours and was significantly associated with tumour stage ( P = 0.01). The prognostic value of BCL-2 expression was significant, u sing both disease-specific (P = 0.0015) and overall survival (P = 0.00 5) as endpoint. Patients with a combined BCL-2 negative/Ki-67 'low' tu mour had the most favourable prognosis. This combined BCL-2/Ki-67 vari able was of independently prognostic value in both the entire populati on (P = 0.0001) and in the clinically localized subpopulation (P = 0.0 35).