Comparison between Manual and Automated Methods for Ki-67 Immunoexpression Quantification in Ameloblastomas.

Area of Science:

• Oral pathology
• Oncology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Ameloblastoma, a common odontogenic tumor, exhibits unpredictable behavior and high recurrence rates.
• Assessing tumor proliferation, often via Ki-67 protein, is crucial for understanding ameloblastoma behavior.
• Accurate cell counting is essential for determining proliferation rates, with various methods developed over time.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of manual cell counting versus automated cell counting using ImmunoRatio software.
• To evaluate the suitability of ImmunoRatio for determining the labeling index in ameloblastoma.
• To assess the accuracy and potential advantages of automated methods in odontogenic tumor research.

Main Methods:

• Manual cell counting techniques were employed for quantifying cell proliferation.
• Automated cell counting was performed using the free software tool, ImmunoRatio.
• A comparative analysis was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness and accuracy of both methods.

Main Results:

• ImmunoRatio demonstrated potential for providing results comparable to manual cell counting when properly calibrated.
• The automated method offers advantages in terms of accessibility and potential efficiency.
• Specific limitations and flaws within ImmunoRatio were identified that can impact labeling index accuracy.

Conclusions:

• Automated cell counting with ImmunoRatio can be a valuable tool for ameloblastoma proliferation studies.
• ImmunoRatio's accuracy is dependent on appropriate calibration and may not fully replace manual methods.
• Supplementing automated cell counting with manual verification is recommended for reliable labeling index determination in odontogenic tumors.