c-myc protein and Ki-67 antigen immunodetection in patients with uterine cervix neoplasia: correlation of microcytophotometric analysis and histological data.

Cone biopsies were carried out in patients (n = 72) with intraepithelial lesions (CIN 1-3) and squamous microinvasive carcinomas of the uterine cervix. Intraoperative histological examination was achieved in order to obtain small cones with healthy upper resection margins. Also, a tissue fragment was sampled and frozen for the immunocytochemical investigations. Image analysis (SAMBA) of immunoprecipitates was used to evaluate c-myc and Ki-67 antigen expression. Positive c-myc protein staining was observed only on microinvasive carcinomas (70%) and CIN 3 lesions (19%) and was correlated with high Ki-67 immunoreactivity. Ki-67 immunostaining was more extensive: (i) in high-grade than low-grade CIN, (ii) in microinvasive carcinomas than in CIN (P < or = 0.01), (iii) in large than in small lesions. No correlation could be found between the levels of either c-myc protein or Ki-67 antigen expression and either patient age or cytological features of HPV infection.