Ki-67 immunostaining and prognosis in laryngeal cancer

The expression of the antigen defined by the Ki-67 antibody in paraffin sections from 154 biopsies of laryngeal squamous cell carcinomas was examined. There was a significant difference in Ki-67 expression between the control group and the patients with cancer (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the Ki-67 score between the patients with recurrence and the patients with a satisfactory outcome after treatment. There was no significant correlation between the Ki-67 score and the patient's age and sex, T and N stage and site of the tumour. The survival time of patients with a Ki-67 score > 30 was shorter than patients with a Ki-67 score < or = 30 but the difference did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.055). Multivariate analysis indicated that the only important prognostic factor was the existence of lymph node metastases. We could not confirm the value of Ki-67 as a prognostic factor in laryngeal cancer. Ki-67 score may assist in differentiating malignant from benign laryngeal epithelium.