Cell proliferation in childhood acute leukemia. Comparison of Ki-67 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen immunocytochemical and DNA flow cytometric analysis

Cancer. 1992 Apr 15;69(8):2176-82. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19920415)69:8<2176::aid-cncr2820690827>3.0.co;2-7.

Abstract

The proliferative activity of bone marrow leukemia cells was determined by DNA flow cytometric (FCM) analysis and labeling index (LI) of Ki-67 monoclonal antibodies and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) autoantibodies in 73 children with acute leukemia. LI of Ki-67 varied greatly from patient to patient (range, 0.4% to 42.2%; mean, 18.8%) and differed significantly between acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL). In ALL, the Ki-67 LI showed a positive correlation with the S-phase fraction (SPF) determined by DNA FCM analysis, whereas, in ANLL, there was a discrepancy between the Ki-67 LI and SPF. In contrast, LI of PCNA varied less among the patients (range, 57.2% to 100%; mean, 90.3%), and the value was always higher than that of the Ki-67 LI in individual patients. A significant relationship between PCNA LI and the percentage of blast cells was found in peripheral blood leukocytes from patients with leukemia. These results suggest that the Ki-67 LI reflects differences in the proliferative activity depending on the subtype of the disease and that the PCNA LI is useful as a marker of proliferating cells.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Blast Crisis / immunology*
  • Blast Crisis / pathology*
  • Bone Marrow Examination
  • Cell Division / immunology
  • Child
  • DNA, Neoplasm / analysis
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Humans
  • Ki-67 Antigen
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / immunology*
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / pathology*
  • Nuclear Proteins / analysis
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / immunology*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology*
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen

Substances

  • DNA, Neoplasm
  • Ki-67 Antigen
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen