[Immunohistochemical markers of cell proliferation in laryngeal carcinoma]

Although several clinicopathological factors may contribute to the prognosis of laryngeal carcinoma, these factors are still uncertain because the carcinogenesis process and malignant behavior are not well known. Immunohistochemical methods using two important markers, PCNA and Ki67 antigen, were used to assess proliferative activity in malignant laryngeal lesions. We studied the correlation between expression of these markers and clinical factors in 72 patients with carcinoma of the larynx: age, sex, occupation, smoking, alcohol consumption, marital status, etc. We also analyzed other known biological and histopathological prognostic factors (tumor stage, histological grade, lymph node metastases, and local invasion). PCNA and Ki-67 expression differed significantly in relation to histological grade and lymph node involvement. No associations were seen between the expression of PCNA and Ki-67 antigens and other study parameters.