Polo-like kinases (PLKs) are protein serine/threonine kinases that play important roles in cell division. Expression of PLK1 might, moreover, play a role in the pathogenesis of human neoplasms. The expression of PLK1 mRNA is closely correlated with survival in patients with malignant tumors. We investigated the expression of PLK1 in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHLs) and analyzed the relationships between expression of PLK1, histological grade, and prognosis. We analyzed various types of NHLs from 118 patients using monoclonal antibodies against PLK1 and Ki-67. The levels of expression of PLK1 and Ki-67 were significantly lower in low-grade NHLs than in high-grade and intermediate-grade NHLs (P < 0.001). Moreover, when patients were grouped in terms of 5-year overall survival ( > 70%, group A; 50 - 70%, group B; 30 - 49%, group C; and < 30%, group D), levels of expression of PLK1 and Ki-67 were found to be significantly higher in group D than in group A and they were also significantly higher in group C than in group A (P < 0.001). Conversely, the level of expression, of Ki-67 was significantly lower in group D than in group C (P < 0.05). The labeling indices specific for PLK1 were generally higher than those specific for Ki-67. Once we divided all patients into two groups in terms of the expression levels, high-level expression group of PLK1 (PLK1 index of 70%) and Ki-67 (Ki-67 indices of 60%) and low-level expression, one of these markers (PLK1 index of >/= 70%, Ki-67 indices of >/= 60%) had a similar prognosis, an observation that can be explained by the fact that rapidly proliferating group is more drug-sensitive than the other. Our study demonstrates that expression of PLK1 might reflect the malignant potential of NHLs and that PLK1 might be more useful than Ki-67 for the detection of proliferative cells.