Ki-67 protein as a prognostic indicator in ovarian carcinoma

Ki-67 expression is strongly correlated with tumour cell proliferation and growth. It is widely used as a proliferation marker in the routine pathological investigation. The nuclear protein Ki- 67 (pKi67) is recognised prognostic and predictive indicator for the biopsies assessment for cancer patients. Clinically, pKi67 has been revealed to associate with metastasis and the clinical stage of tumours. Furthermore, it has been presented that the expression of Ki-67 is significantly higher in malignant tissues with poorly differentiated tumour cells, as compared with normal tissue. The Ki-67 labelling index plays a vital role as an independent prognostic factor for survival rate, which includes all stages and grade categories. There is an association between the ratios of Ki-67 positive malignant cells and patient survival. This review provides an overview of recent advances in detecting Ki-67 in ovarian carcinoma