[Prognostic factors of prostate cancer: usefulness of Ki-67 expression in preoperative biopsies].

Objectives: To evaluate the usefulness of Ki-67 expression in preoperative diagnostic biopsies to predict prostate cancer biochemical relapse after radical prostatectomy.

Methods: We analyze the expression of Ki-67 in ultrasound guided biopsies of 103 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. Mean follow-up was 3.4 years (1.3-8.8 yr.). We correlated biochemical progression with traditional prognostic factors such as PSA (> 10/< or = 10), Gleason (> or = 7/< 7), pT classification (pT3/pT 0-2), and the immunohistochemical prognostic factor Ki-67 (> 3%/< or = 3%).

Results: 71/103 (69%) patients did not have progression and 32 (31%) had biochemical progression. Mean preoperative PSA was 10.7 ng/ml in patients without progression and 20.90 ng/ml in patients with biochemical progression (p = 0.0001). Mean Gleason score was 6.03 in patients without progression and 6.75 in patients with biochemical progression (p = 0.0001). Ki-67 expression was 3.95% in patients without progression in comparison to 5.05% of patients with biochemical progression. 12/67 (17.9%) of pT 0-2 tumors and 20/36 (55.6%) pT3 tumors progressed (p = 0.0001). Multivariate analysis indicates that there is not relationship between Ki-67 (> 3% < or = 3%) in preoperative biopsy specimens and prostate cancer biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy (p = 0.204).

Conclusions: The immunohistochemical prognostic factor Ki-67 (> 3%/< or = 3%) in preoperative biopsies is less effective than classic factors, PSA (> 10/< or = 10), Gleason score (> or = 7/< 7) and pT classification (pT3/pT 0-2), to predict prostate cancer biochemical progression after radical prostatectomy.