Evaluation of clinico-pathological criteria and the Ki67 index as prognostic indicators in canine insulinoma.

The establishment of reliable prognostic biomarkers for canine insulinoma are warranted to facilitate optimal patient management. Using univariate and multivariate analyses, the present study evaluated the prognostic power of several clinical and histopathological criteria, as well as the Ki67 index, in 26 dogs with insulinoma. On univariate analysis, stromal fibrosis within these tumours was found to be significantly predictive for survival, while tumour size, the Ki67 index, and TNM (Tumour, Node, Metastasis) stage were significant in the prognosis of both disease-free interval and survival time. On multivariate analysis, tumour size retained predictive power for disease-free intervals, while the Ki67 index proved prognostically significant for both the disease-free interval and overall survival time. This study demonstrates that, in addition to known factors such as tumour size and stage, Ki67 can act as a biomarker of insulinoma that can be used to predict clinical outcome. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.