Ki67 as a prognostic factor of craniopharyngioma's recurrence in paediatric population

Elżbieta Moszczyńska1, Monika Prokop-Piotrkowska2, Agnieszka Bogusz-Wójcik3

  • 1Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Children's Memorial Health Institute, Al. Dzieci Polskich 20, 04-730, Warsaw, Poland. e.moszczynska@ipczd.pl.

Insights

The proliferation index Ki67 is not a reliable predictor for craniopharyngioma recurrence in children. This study found no significant difference in Ki67 levels between recurrent and non-recurrent tumors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neuro-oncology
  • Tumor biology
  • Molecular pathology

Background:

  • Craniopharyngioma is a common benign central nervous system tumor in children.
  • Despite being benign, it severely impacts patient quality of life.
  • Understanding recurrence risk factors is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the Ki67 proliferation index as a potential marker for craniopharyngioma recurrence risk.
  • To determine if Ki67 expression levels correlate with tumor progression or relapse.

Main Methods:

  • Ki67 expression was analyzed in 85 primary and 11 recurrent adamantinomatous craniopharyngiomas.
  • Ki67 values were compared between patients with and without recurrence.
  • Comparisons were also made between progression/relapse groups and primary/recurrent tumors.

Main Results:

  • No statistically significant difference in Ki67 levels was observed between recurrent (median 3%) and non-recurrent (median 2.5%) tumors.
  • While a trend suggested higher Ki67 in recurrent tumors (median 5%) versus primary (median 3%), this was not statistically significant.
  • No significant differences were found between progression (median 1%) and relapse (median 4%) groups.

Conclusions:

  • The Ki67 proliferation index is not a reliable prognostic factor for predicting craniopharyngioma recurrence.
  • Further research may be needed to identify definitive markers for craniopharyngioma prognosis.
Abstract