Comparative Study of Correlation between Angiogenesis Markers (CD31) and Ki67 Marker with Behavior of Aggressive and Nonaggressive Central Giant Cell Granuloma with Immunohistochemistry Technique

BACKGROUND: The central giant cell granuloma (CGCG) is generally considered a non-neoplastic lesion. However, some cases show aggressive behavior like neoplasms. Based on clinical observations, a number of researchers have classified this lesion into aggressive and non- aggressive types. This study was aimed to investigate the association between clinical behavior and histopathological features using immunohistochemical vascular CD31 and cellular proliferation Ki67 markers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this descriptive-analytical, clinicopathological and immunohistochemical study, 50 CGCGs, including 25 aggressive and 25 non-aggressive types were selected according to Chuong’s classification. The samples were then subjected to immunohistochemical staining to analyze positivity for CD31 and Ki67 markers. Numbers of blood vessels and percentage proliferation of underlying fibroendothelial cells were assessed, and the obtained results were analyzed with the t-test and the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference between aggressive and non-aggressive CGCG lesions in the mean incidences of Ki67 (p=0.044). and CD31 (p=0.003) positivity. CONCLUSION: The present evaluation of expression rates for the vascular CD31 and cellular proliferation Ki67 markers showed there might be a positive relation between the clinical features and histopathology of CGCG. Furthermore, clinical behavior may be predicted based on features such as the number of blood vessels and proliferation of fibroendothelial cells.