Correlation of expression of H/Le(y)/Le(b) antigens with survival in patients with carcinoma of the lung.
BACKGROUND
The level of expression of H/Le(y)/Le(b) antigens is high in various histologic types of lung cancer, a feature that may be related to deletion of A and B blood-group antigens. We evaluated the possibility that expression of this antigen, which can be defined by the monoclonal antibody MIA-15-5, might be of prognostic value, as suggested by our previous observation that MIA-15-5 inhibits tumor-cell motility and metastasis.


METHODS
We used MIA-15-5 to stain tissue sections from 149 patients with primary lung cancer whose clinico-pathological histories were well documented. The survival curves for patients whose tumors stained positively were compared with the curves for those whose tumors stained negatively. Multivariate analyses were performed with a Cox proportional-hazards regression model.


RESULTS
Among the 149 patients studied, five-year survival in the 91 patients with MIA-positive tumors was significantly lower than survival in the 58 with MIA-negative tumors (20.9 percent vs. 58.6 percent, P less than 0.001). Among the 67 patients with squamous-cell carcinoma, the rates also differed significantly (10.5 percent vs. 62.1 percent, P less than 0.001). The difference in survival between patients with MIA-positive tumors and those with MIA-negative tumors was significant among patients with blood groups A and AB (P less than 0.001), but not among those with blood group B or O (P = 0.071 and 0.068, respectively). Multivariate analysis with the Cox regression model indicated that positivity best correlated with five-year mortality, followed by lymph-node status (N stage) and tumor size status (T stage), whereas sex, age, and blood group did not correlate with mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
Positivity for MIA (i.e., immunohistologic staining by MIA-15-5, which defines H/Le(y)/Le(b) antigens) is inversely correlated with survival among patients with primary lung cancer and may be of prognostic value.
Miyake
M
M
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Kitano Hospital, Tazuke Kofukai Medical Research Institute, Osaka, Japan.
Taki
T
T
Hitomi
S
S
Hakomori
S
S
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000032:analysis*; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000032:analysis*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000401:mortality; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality; D002465:Cell Movement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate
D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens