Expression of Ki-67 in cervical epithelial cells in preneoplastic lesions of patients with AIDS

The objective of the present investigation was to study the expression of t he proliferation marker Ki-67 in cervical intraepithelial lesions in women with AIDS. We studied 18 low-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions (Lo-CIN ) and 8 high-grade cervical intraepithelial lesions (HI-GIN) in AIDS patien ts and 18 Lo-CIN and 14 HI-GIN in patients from the general population. Pos itive Ki-67 nuclei were counted. A significantly higher number of Ki-67-pos itive cells (p < 0.001) was found in Lo-CIN of AIDS patients (mean 29.18 +/ - 10.44) as compared with Lo-CIN of general-population women (mean 17.08 +/ - 7.40), whereas no significant difference in positive Ki-67 nuclei was obs erved in the HI-GIN of AIDS patients and of patients from the general popul ation (p > 0.05), We conclude that the proliferative potential of cervical cells in Lo-CIN - as studied by the expression of the proliferation marker Ki-67 - is higher in AIDS patients than in the general population. Copyrigh t (C) 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel.