Cervical Cancer is malignant neoplasm that forms in the cells origination in the cervix uteri. It is a slow-growing cancer typically having no symptoms in the early stages. As the cancer progress to a more advanced stage abnormal vaginal bleeding is the most common symptom. Diagnose of cervical cancer, or cervical dysplasia, is based on an examination of cervical biopsies typically using a Pap smear test.
The Ki-67 protein is associated with cellular proliferation, and the protein is present in the nucleus of all cells that are in the active phase of the cell cycle, but absent in resting cells, see [1]. The cell proliferation rate can be assessed by Ki67-immunohistochemical (IHC) staining, and this can be correlated to the tumor grade and the clinical course for the patient, see [2].
p16 is a tumor suppressor protein and plays and an important role in regulating the cell cycle. Increased expression of the protein reduces the production and division of stem cells and is associated with an increased risk of a wide range of cancer. Detection of p16 is particularly used in the classification of cervical dysplasia and in the differential diagnosis of the two main types: cervical adenocarcinoma versus endometrial adenocarcinoma.
This APP can be used to find the nuclei within a tumor region for double Ki-67+p16 staining. The protocol will provide the proliferations rate (area and number) of nuclei within the tumor regions. No manual outlined of Region of Interest (ROI) is necessary since the protocol is able to outline the tumor regions based on the double staining (Ki-67+p16). Thus only an overall ROI is required.