Correlation of expression of ki-67 in samples of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma with histological and clinical features

Background: squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common malignancies in the head and neck. The prediction of the biological behavior of this tumor plays an important role in choosing the appropriate treatment plan. The ki-67 antigen is one of the most well-known proteins associated with the cycle cell, widely used in studies to examine cell proliferation. Few studies have been conducted with regard to the expression of ki-67 in various SCC of head and neck and its relation with biological behavior and clinical and pathological indicators. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the expression of ki-67 antigen in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck and its related factors in Birjand city. Methods: In this descriptive study, formalin fixed and paraffin embedded tissue of 67 head and neck SCC diagnosed from Imam Reza Hospital and Vali-e-Asr Hospital in Birjand. Samples were stained with ki-67 antibody using immunohistochemical technique. Then, the relationship between expression of ki-67 and grade of histopathologic and other parameters studied in this study, was analyzed by SPSS-22 software and statistical tests. Results: From 67 samples, 40 cases of laryngeal involvement, 7 cases of tongue involvement, 10 cases of lip involvement, and 10 cases of involvement in other areas were observed. The results of statistical analysis showed that there was a significant relationship between expression of Ki-67 and location of the disease (P = 0.001). From the examined the larynx and tongue (P = 0.011) and lip (P=0.003) had a significant relationship with the expression of the marker. It was also found that there was no significant relationship with the appearance of the ki-67 marker and grade of histopathologic, tumor size, age and sex. Conclusions: The expression of ki-67 in the larynx was higher than other sites in the SCC of the head and neck, which may be due to delay of its diagnosis in these areas and lead to progression of disease. There was also a significant relationship between the incidence of this marker in the tongue and the lips, indicating the high risk of these areas and the abundance of cell proliferation in the SCC of these areas.

Keywords:

head and neck squamous cell carcinoma , ki-67 , immunohistochemistry