HER2/neu and Ki-67 as prognostic indicators in mucoepidermoid carcinoma of salivary glands.

Abstract

Mucoepidermoid carcinoma is the most common salivary gland malignancy, representing up to 30% of all cases. Despite attempts to correlate histopathologic grades to clinical outcomes, some histologically "low"-grade lesions continue to behave aggressively despite appropriate treatment. This preliminary study will attempt to evaluate the use of immunohistochemical markers HER2/neu and Ki-67 as prognostic markers of biologic aggressiveness for mucoepidermoid carcinoma of the salivary glands. A retrospective chart review of 42 patients with mucoepidermoid carcinoma of major and minor salivary glands treated between 1970 and 1995 was conducted. A combination of primary resection with or without postoperative irradiation was used. Histologic grading and correlation with outcome analyses are provided. In the current study, positive HER2/neu staining and strong Ki-67 staining occurred in patients with high-grade mucoepidermoid carcinoma, whereas low-grade carcinoma was correlated with negative or weak staining. These preliminary results indicate that, overall, the overexpression of both the HER2/neu and the Ki-67 oncoproteins may serve as prognostic markers for poor outcome in salivary gland mucoepidermoid carcinoma.