Comparison between Manual and Automated Methods for Ki-67 Immunoexpression Quantification in Ameloblastomas

Abstract

Ameloblastoma is a common and unpredictable odontogenic tumor with high relapse rates. Several studies assessing the proliferative capacity of these neoplasms have been published, mainly using the protein Ki-67. Cell counts must be completed to determine the cell proliferation rate. Multiple methods have been developed for this purpose. The most widely used method is the labeling index, which has undergone changes over time to better facilitate cell counting. Here, we compared manual cell counting methods with automated cell counting (ImmunoRatio) to determine the relative effectiveness of these methods. The results suggest that ImmunoRatio, a free software tool, may be highly advantageous and provide results similar to manual cell counting methods when used with the appropriate calibration. However, ImmunoRatio has flaws that may affect the labeling index results. Therefore, this automated cell counting method must be supplemented with manual cell counting methods.