Image cytometric comparison of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and MIB-1 staining in hepatocellular carcinoma and adjacent liver tissue

Studies of cellular proliferation may aid in elucidation of mechanisms of hepatocarcinogenesis and provide potential prognostic information in cases of hepatocellular carcinoma, Increased proliferation has been reported in the liver tissue adjacent to hepatocellular carcinoma and may be a risk factor for recurrence after tumor resection, We quantitated proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) clone PC10 and MIB-1 nuclear immunostain by image cytometry in fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of normal, cirrhotic, and dysplastic livers with and without co-existent hepatocellular carcinoma and in the hepatocellular carcinoma. Fifteen high power fields were analyzed in each case using the CAS 200 image analyzer and results were expressed as the percent positive nuclear area, Cirrhotic liver showed significantly less proliferation adjacent to hepatocellular carcinoma than without hepatocellular carcinoma. There was a similar, but not significant, tendency for dysplastic liver. Increasing mean proliferation was noted from normal to cirrhotic to dysplastic liver to low grade to high grade hepatocellular carcinoma. These findings were similar using both PC10 and MIB-1, There tended to be slightly more staining with PC10 than with MIB-1, but the mean percent positive nuclear area was significantly greater with PC10 only in high grade hepatocellular carcinoma. Comparison of individual cases, however, yielded significant correlation between the two antibodies in the low grade and high grade hepatocellular carcinomas, but not in the benign livers. These findings demonstrate that image cytometric quantitation of PC10 and MIB-1 immunostain may be comparable measures of cellular proliferation and that there is no increase in proliferation in the hepatic tissue adjacent to hepatocellular carcinoma. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.