Complementary value of the Ki-67 proliferation index to the oncotype DX recurrence score

Int J Surg Pathol. 2009 Aug;17(4):303-10. doi: 10.1177/1066896909340274. Epub 2009 Jul 3.

Abstract

Oncotype DX is a 21-gene assay that quantifies the recurrence risk in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, which is expressed as the recurrence score (RS). Studies have shown that patients with a high-risk RS will most likely benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy, but there is no proven advantage for patients with a low-risk RS who still face an average recurrence risk of 7%. In this study, the relationship between the RS and the cell cycle-related antigen Ki-67 was assessed in 32 breast carcinomas and evaluated for a potential association. Comparison of the RS with tumor type, grade, and the Ki-67 proliferation index (PI) revealed an overall concordance. However, some tumors with a low RS revealed a surprisingly high Ki-67 PI. These cases may correspond to the 7% of low-risk RS carcinomas that recur. Therefore, the authors propose a combined evaluation of the RS and Ki-67 PI to identify tumors with high recurrence potential from the low-risk and intermediate-risk RS groups.

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis*
  • Adenocarcinoma / genetics
  • Adenocarcinoma / metabolism
  • Adenocarcinoma / secondary
  • Adult
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism
  • Breast Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Breast Neoplasms / genetics
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Female
  • Gene Expression Profiling / methods*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Ki-67 Antigen / metabolism*
  • Lymph Nodes / metabolism
  • Lymph Nodes / pathology
  • Lymphatic Metastasis
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / diagnosis*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / metabolism
  • Predictive Value of Tests

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • Ki-67 Antigen