Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28187177›Full record

ArticlePloS one2017

A comparison of Ki-67 counting methods in luminal Breast Cancer: The Average Method vs. the Hot Spot Method.

Min Hye Jang, Hyun Jung Kim, Yul Ri Chung, Yangkyu Lee, So Yeon Park

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 28 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
28citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

28 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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  7. Targeting low-risk triple-negative breast cancer: a review on de-escalation strategies for a new era.Translational breast cancer research : a journal focusing on translational research in breast cancer · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Min Hye JangDepartment of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
Hyun Jung KimDepartment of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
Yul Ri ChungDepartment of Pathology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Yangkyu LeeDepartment of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.
So Yeon ParkDepartment of Pathology, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Republic of Korea.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0299-7268

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In spite of the usefulness of the Ki-67 labeling index (LI) as a prognostic and predictive marker in breast cancer, its clinical application remains limited due to variability in its measurement and the absence of a standard method of interpretation. This study was designed to compare the two methods of assessing Ki-67 LI: the average method vs. the hot spot method and thus to determine which method is more appropriate in predicting prognosis of luminal/HER2-negative breast cancers. Ki-67 LIs were calculated by direct counting of three representative areas of 493 luminal/HER2-negative breast cancers using the two methods. We calculated the differences in the Ki-67 LIs (ΔKi-67) between the two methods and the ratio of the Ki-67 LIs (H/A ratio) of the two methods. In addition, we compared the performance of the Ki-67 LIs obtained by the two methods as prognostic markers. ΔKi-67 ranged from 0.01% to 33.3% and the H/A ratio ranged from 1.0 to 2.6. Based on the receiver operating characteristic curve method, the predictive powers of the KI-67 LI measured by the two methods were similar (Area under curve: hot spot method, 0.711; average method, 0.700). In multivariate analysis, high Ki-67 LI based on either method was an independent poor prognostic factor, along with high T stage and node metastasis. However, in repeated counts, the hot spot method did not consistently classify tumors into high vs. low Ki-67 LI groups. In conclusion, both the average and hot spot method of evaluating Ki-67 LI have good predictive performances for tumor recurrence in luminal/HER2-negative breast cancers. However, we recommend using the average method for the present because of its greater reproducibility.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBreast NeoplasmsEarly Detection of CancerFemaleHumansImmunohistochemistryKi-67 AntigenMaleMiddle AgedMolecular Diagnostic TechniquesReproducibility of ResultsKi-67 Antigen

Identifiers

PMID28187177
PMCPMC5302792

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.