Topoisomerase II alpha and p27; alternative markers to decide on the proliferation capacity of astrocytic tumors

Evrim ÖZTÜRK; Ünsal HAN; Binnur ÖNAL

Proliferation capacity is an important parameter which enables us to predict the prognosis of tumours. Many immunohistochemical studies were conducted to search the relation of proliferative capacity with different clinical and histological parameters. Ki67 is a well known immunohistochemical marker of proliferation and some standard values have been established for Ki67 indexes of astrocytic tumours. For this purpose, considering the roles of proteins in cell cycle, some immunohistochemical markers other than Ki67 can be suggested. In this study, expressions of topoisomerase II alpha, a nuclear protein in mitotically active cells and p27, a cylin-dependent kinase inhibitor, were correlated with the grade and Ki67 indexes of 67 astrocytomas. Topoisomerase expressions demonstrated an increase with increasing grade. It also followed a parallel curve with Ki67. On the other hand, p27 had an inverse correlation with the tumor grade. The cut-off value for topoisomerase was calculated to vary 3.5% between low and high grade tumours. No cut-off value could be obtained for p27.