Correlation of expression of ki-67 in head and neck SCC with histological and clinical features

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.

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between ki-67 expression and clinical and histological characteristics in head and neck SCCin Birjand city.For this descriptive study,we used formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue of 67 head and neck SCCs diagnosed from Imam Reza Hospital and Vali-e-Asr Hospital inBirjand. Slides were stained with ki-67 antibody using an immunohistochemical technique. Then, the relationship between expression of ki-67 andthe grade of histopathologic and other parameters in this study, was analyzed by SPSS-22 software and statistical tests.

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 the expression of Ki-67 and the location of involvement (P = 0.001)

The expression of ki-67 in the larynx was higher than other sites in the SCC of the head and neck. There was also a significant relationship between the expression of this marker in the tongue and the lips which indicates the high risk of these areas and the high rate of SCC proliferation in these areas.