Proliferation rate of intracranial meningiomas as defined by the monoclonal antibody MIB-1: correlation with peritumoural oedema and other clinicoradiological and histological characteristics.

Paraffin-embedded surgical specimens from 55 meningiomas were immunostained after microwave processing using the streptavidin/peroxidase method and the monoclonal antibody (moAb) MIB-1 to the Ki-67 antigen. The authors assessed proliferative labelling index (LI) from a series of surgically removed meningiomas using immunohistochemical methods and MIB-1, and they correlated this index with clinical, radiological, and histological factors. No relationship was found between LI, sex, age, resection and histological grades, or volume. Symptoms, location, and peritumoural oedema did have a significant relationship to the MIB-1 LI. The symptomatic patients, i.e. those with tumours at the base of the skull and with GR3 peritumoural oedema (grade 3), had a greater chance of higher MIB-1 LI. It was proven that the increase of one unit in peritumoural oedema classification gave an increased risk of 3.312 and an LI greater than 3%. The authors also discuss the different methods of evaluating LIs in meningiomas, based on the available literature.