Expression of nestin and Ki-67 in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors and its significance

Abstract

Objective To explore the expression of nestin and Ki-67 in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) and its significance in the differential diagnosis. Methods Immunohistochemical technique (SP) was used to detect the expression of nestin and Ki-67 in 42 cases of MPNST and 24 cases of benign peripheral nerve tumor.Results Total expression of nestin was found in 95.2 ％(40/42) of MPNST.Strong expression of nestin was detected more frequent in MPNST compared to benign peripheral nerve tumors [40.5 ％(17/42) versus 4.2 ％(1/24),x2 =8.403,P =0.004].Ki-67 labeling index in MPNST varied from 1％-70 ％.However,greater than 3 ％ labeling index of Ki-67 staining was observed in 64.3 ％(27 / 42) of MPNST while none of the 24 benign tumors had nuclear staining exceeding 3 ％. The higher Ki-67 labeling index showed significant differences between the two groups (x2 =23.518,P =0.000).Conclusion Nestin and Ki-67 are useful markers in distinguishing MPNST from benign tumors. Key words: Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor; Nestin; Ki-67; Immunohistochemistry