OBJECTIVE: To compare the cytophotometric quantitative expression of Ki-67 cellular proliferation factor in the colloid goiter with papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. METHODS: The protein Ki-67 was studied with immunohistochemistry in 20 cases of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid and 12 cases of colloid goiter. The immunomarked cell nuclei were quantified through the software SAMBA 4000 ® and analyzed by software IMMUNO ®, considering variables index marker and optical density. The coefficient of the Spearman rank correlation and the non-parametric test of Mann-Whitney wre estimated. RESULTS: There is significant difference between the goiter colloid and the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid in Ki-67 measurements, being bigger in papillary carcinomas. No difference was found in optical density. The correlation coefficient between the index marker and the optic density was 0,78. In colloid goiter, there was positive and significant association between the index marker and the optic density. For the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid the correlation between index marker and optic density was 0,18 (p = 0,572). There was no association between the index marker and the optic density in the carcinoma papillary of the thyroid. CONCLUSION: The cytophotometric expression of the Ki-67 showed higher cellular proliferation in the papillary carcinoma of the thyroid in comparison with in the colloid goiter.
Immunohistochemistry; Cell proliferation; Goiter nodular; Thyroid neoplasms
