[Immunomorphological features of cutaneous basal-cell carcinoma]

An immunohistochemical study of p53, Ki-67, bcl-2, CK-8 and collagen IV was conducted in 47 basal-cell carcinomas (BCC) to ascertain their prognostic value. The increasing index of the proliferative markers (Ki-67 up to 55.71 and p53 up to 63.29%, respectively) was characteristic of infiltrative BCC (p = 0.017-0.027). There was a distinct correlation between p53 and Ki-67 levels, on the one hand, and the main clinico-morphological features of BCC (r=0.63-0.78), on the other. Elevated expression of proliferative markers proved to be a factor of unfavorable prognosis. High anti-apoptotic bcl-2 expression in superficial BCC (36.85%) was matched by its decrease in nodular carcinoma and was minimal in high grade infiltrative BCC (13.24%). CK-8 expression did not vary significantly within the 67.21-71.39% of tumor cells as far as different histotopographic patterns are concerned. Most prominent basement membrane ruptures, as evaluated by collagen IV expression, occurred in infiltrative BCC (p=0.008).