title: Prognostic impact of histologic demonstration of chromogranin A and neuron specific enolase in pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
abstract: One hundred-fourteen patients with inoperable adenocarcinoma of the lung (ACL) were evaluated by immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibodies against Neuron Specific Enolase (NSE) and Chromogranin A (Chr A) in order to determine the frequency and prognostic impact of such antigen expression. All patients were previously untreated and received chemotherapy according to a prospective randomized trial. The tumors of 18 patients (16%) had more than 10% positive cells stained with anti-NSE, 59 (52%) had 1-10% positive cells and those of 37 patients (32%) contained no NSE-positive cells. The corresponding figures for Chr A were: 22 patients (19%), 51 patients (45%) and 41 patients (36%), respectively. Forty-four per cent of the patients with more than 10% positive NSE cells responded to chemotherapy (either complete or partial remissions) compared to 17% of the patients with fewer than 10% positive cells (p less than 0.025). The corresponding values for Chr A were 30% responders versus 19% responders (not statistically significant). The median survival for patients with more than 10%, 1-10% or no NSE-positive cells was 262 days, 231 days and 159 days, while, for Chr A it was 245 days, 200 days and 238 days, respectively. The survival curves for both NSE and Chr A according to the various levels of positivity were not significantly different. The presence of neuroendocrine marker in pulmonary adenocarcinoma seems to be associated with increased sensitivity to chemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pathology, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Skov
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Sørensen
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Hirsch
authors.forename: L I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Hansen
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; C506150:CHGA protein, human; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase