Proliferative activity of acoustic neurilemomas without neurofibromatosis determined by monoclonal antibody MIB 1.

Microscopic sections obtained from paraffin blocks of 30 consecutive neurilemomas stored in 1989 were investigated immunohistochemically with the new monoclonal antibody MIB 1 directed against recombinant parts of Ki-67 antigen. The immunohistochemical staining was carried out on dewaxed microwave-oven-processed paraffin sections of formalin-fixed tumour tissues. The labelling index (LI) obtained was below 1% in 21 cases, 1-3% in 7 cases and more than 3% in 2 cases. There was no correlation between the LI and the age of the patients or the tumour size. The major advantage of MIB 1 over previous immunohistochemical methods is its usefulness in long preserved sections which are ideal for retrospective studies.