The proliferation markers Ki-67/MIB-1, phosphohistone H3, and survivin may contribute in the identification of aggressive ovarian carcinomas

The identification of new proliferation markers could have clinical implications in ovarian carcinoma by stratifying patients for treatment and follow-up. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and prognostic value of the proliferation markers Ki-67/MIB-1, phosphorylated histone H3 (PHH3), and survivin in epithelial ovarian tumors. Ninety women with a pelvic mass who underwent surgery at the Department of Gynecological Oncology were included: 68 ovarian carcinomas, 11 borderline tumors, and 11 ovarian cystadenomas. We performed mitotic count and immunohistochemical analyses of Ki-67/MIB-1, PHH3, and survivin, related to clinicopathological parameters. Uni- and multivariate analyses of five-year overall survival were performed. We found statistically significant correlations between mitotic count, Ki-67/MIB-1, PHH3, and survivin. The expression of all proliferation markers was significantly higher in the carcinomas than in the borderline and benign tumors (p