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Updated: Jul 13, 2026
Immunofluorescent Detection of Two Thymidine Analogues (CldU and IdU) in Primary Tissue
Published on: December 7, 2010
Is the thymidine labeling index a good prognostic marker in breast cancer?
Ebru Sen-Oran1, Vahit Ozmen, Ayhan Bilir
1Departments of General Surgery, Istanbul Medical School, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey. ebrusenoran@hotmail.com.
Background:
The aim of the present study was to determine the prognostic relevance of thymidine labeling index (TLI) in patients with breast cancer.
Methods:
TLI of the primary tumor was measured in 268 patients at the time of the surgical biopsy by an in vitro method.
Results:
Fifty-four patients had stage I disease, and 138 patients had stage II disease, and 76 patients had stage III disease. One hundred-four patients were found to have low TLI-index (<3%), and 164 patients had high TLI-index (>/=3%). The median follow-up was 71.5 months (range, 6-138 months). The 5-year overall survival (OS) and disease free survival (DFS) rates was 84% and 74%, respectively. Lymph node involvement, tumor size more than 2 cm, high nuclear grade and estrogen receptor negativity were found to be associated with poorer DFS and OS rates. On subgroup analysis, however, the 5-year OS rate was significantly higher in the low TLI-group than in the high TLI-group in patients with stage I disease (100% vs 76%, p = 0.05).
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that the prognostic significance of TLI appears to be limited to early breast cancer that might help to distinguish patients who need more aggressive adjuvant treatment.
