The current World Health Organization (WHO) classification of human gliomas is mainly based on morphology. However, it has limitations in prognostic prediction. We examined whether combining isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1/2 mutation status with the Ki-67 labeling index would improve the definition of prognostically distinct entities. We investigated the correlation of Ki-67 expression with IDH1/2 mutation status and their impact on clinical outcome in 703 gliomas. Low Ki-67 expression closely overlapped with IDH1/2 mutation in our cohort (P < 0.0001). Patients with IDH1/2 mutation survived significantly longer than patients with wild-type IDH1/2 did (P < 0.0001); higher Ki-67 expression was associated with shorter progression-free survival and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.0001). IDH1/2 combined with Ki-67 was used to re-classify glioma patients into five groups. IDH1/2 mutant patients with low and moderate Ki-67 expression (Group1) had the best prognosis, whereas patients with wild-type IDH1/2 and high Ki-67 expression (Group5) had the worst prognosis (Median OS = 1527 vs. 355 days, P < 0.0001). To summarize, our new classification model distinguishes biologically distinct subgroups and provides prognostic information regardless of the conventional WHO grade. Classification based on IDH1/2 mutation status and Ki-67 expression level could be more convenient for clinical application and guide personalized treatment in malignant gliomas.
Keywords: IDH1/2 mutation; Ki-67 labeling index; glioma; molecular classification; prognosis.