Extent of metallothionein expression in correlation with expression of Ki-67 antigen in soft tissue fibrosarcomas in dogs

This study is aimed at a immunocytochemical demonstration of metallothionein and Ki-67 expression, and to define the correlation between the markers in spontaneous fibrosarcomas in dogs. Material for the study was sampled during operative procedures from 27 dogs of various breeds, aging 5 to 16 years. The neoplastic tumours were histopathologically verified and immunohistochemical reactions were conducted to detect MT and Ki-67. Microphotographs of the preparations were subjected to computer-assisted image analysis. In light of the numerous established studies for a high prognostic value of Ki-67, for this reason we have identified in our studies a weak correlation between the expressions of MT and Ki-67 (r = 0.15), which allows us to conclude that the presence of metallothioneins in the cells of soft tissue fibrosarcomas in dogs does not manifest an unequivocal relationship with augmented proliferative potential of tumour cells, as it was demonstrated in similar tumours in humans.