Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Ki67 test predicts 1-year survival in dogs with oral melanoma
By Bergin, I L et al.·Published in Veterinary pathology·2011·University of Michigan, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Prognostic evaluation of Ki67 threshold value in canine oral melanoma.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study looked at 79 dogs with oral melanoma, a type of cancer that can be aggressive and has a poor prognosis. Researchers found that a specific test called Ki67, which measures cell growth, could help predict how long a dog might survive after diagnosis. If the Ki67 value was above 19.5, it indicated a higher chance of death or needing euthanasia within a year. They also identified other important factors, like the nuclear atypia score and mitotic index, that can help veterinarians better assess the situation. Using a combination of these tests could give a clearer picture of a dog's likely outcome after being diagnosed with oral melanoma.
People also search for: dog oral melanoma prognosis · Ki67 test for dogs · canine cancer survival rates · dog melanoma treatment options
Abstract
Oral melanoma is a common canine cancer with a historically poor prognosis. Recent evidence suggests that a subset of cases may have a more favorable outcome, defined as long-term survival in the absence of intervention other than initial surgery. Traditional histological parameters have had prognostic significance in some studies but not in others, potentially due to interobserver variation. We evaluated the prognostic utility of Ki67 immunohistochemistry in a group of 79 canine oral melanomas using a technique easily applied in a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. A threshold Ki67 value of >19.5 had a sensitivity and specificity of 87.1% and 85.4%, respectively, at predicting death or euthanasia due to melanoma by 1 year postdiagnosis. Threshold values for classical histological parameters were also identified for most cases and were >4 (>30%; sensitivity = 83.9%, specificity = 86.0%) for the nuclear atypia score and >4/10 hpfs (sensitivity = 90.3%, specificity = 84.4%) for the mitotic index. In this study, the percentages correctly classified with respect to death by 1 year postdiagnosis were comparable for Ki67 (86.1%, 68/79), the nuclear atypia score (86.3%, 63/73), and the mitotic index (86.8%, 66/76). High pigmentation (>50%) had a high negative predictive value of 90.9% (18/20), but overall, only 61.0% (47/77) of cases could be correctly classified by this parameter. Based on these results, we recommend a panel of prognostic parameters, including the nuclear atypia score, the mitotic index, Ki67, and pigmentation quantification to more accurately predict the likely outcome of canine oral melanomas.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21123859/