Published online by Cambridge University Press: 13 July 2015
Vestibular schwannomas in younger patients have been observed to be larger in size and grow more quickly.
This study aimed to evaluate the expression of three important cell cycle proteins, cyclin D1, cyclin D3 and Ki-67, in vestibular schwannoma patients separated into two age groups: ≤40 years or >40 years.
Immunohistochemical detection of cyclin D1, cyclin D3 and Ki-67 was undertaken in 180 surgically resected vestibular schwannomas.
The proliferation index of vestibular schwannomas was statistically higher in the ≤40 years age group compared to that in the >40 years age group (mean of 4.52 vs 3.27, respectively; p = 0.01). Overexpression of cyclin D1 and cyclin D3 was found in 68 per cent and 44 per cent of tumours, respectively.
There was an increased Ki-67 proliferation index in the younger age group that appears to correlate with clinical behaviour. Vestibular schwannomas in both age groups show increased expression of cyclin D1 and cyclin D3.