Utilization of p53 and Ki-67 Biomarkers in Evaluation of Prostate Cancer at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, Nigeria (Published)
Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignancy and leading cause of cancer mortality among Nigerian men, with majority presenting late with high-grade disease. Affordable prognostic biomarkers are needed to complement Gleason grading in resource-constrained settings. The objectives of the study is to evaluate the immunohistochemically expression frequencies of p53 and Ki-67 in Nigerian men with PCa and determine their correlation with Gleason score (ISUP Grade Group) and serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA). A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi, from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2026. Forty-seven patients with histologically confirmed prostate adenocarcinoma were recruited via purposive sampling. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks were subjected to immunohistochemistry for p53 and Ki-67 using streptavidin-biotin immunoperoxidase technique. Positivity was defined as ≥10% nuclear staining. Correlation with Gleason score and PSA was assessed using Spearman’s rho. Significance set at p<0.05. The result showed that Mean age was 67.3 ± 10.2 years (range 37-84). Using ISUP 2019, Grade Group 1: 4.2%, Group 2: 12.8%, Group 3: 14.9%, Group 4: 42.6%, Group 5: 25.5%; 68.1% were poorly differentiated (Gleason 8-10). p53 positivity was 23.4% (11/47) and Ki-67 positivity was 74.5% (35/47). Ki-67 showed statistically significant association with higher Gleason score (p=0.001) and strong positive correlation with PSA (r = +0.876, p = 0.001). p53 showed moderate positive correlation with PSA (r = +0.496, p = 0.005) but no significant correlation with Gleason score (p = 0.103) In conclusion, Ki-67 is highly expressed and strongly associated with aggressive clinicopathological features, supporting its utility as a pragmatic prognostic biomarker in Nigerian men with PCa. The prognostic role of p53 remains inconclusive in this population.
Keywords: Gleason score, Ki-67, Nigeria, PSA, biomarker, immunohistochemistry, p53