Distribution of fibronectin in adenocarcinoma of the lung: classification and prognostic significance.
Fibronectin (FN) was investigated in 75 stroma from lung adenocarcinoma patients. Distribution of FN was classified into three patterns based on immunohistochemical evidence: dense, moderate, and sparse distribution. The incidence of the sparse pattern in both stage I and stage III disease was significantly greater in the infiltrating than in the noninfiltrating areas. The patients were divided into two groups, long-term survivors and short-term survivors. In the group with stage I disease, the incidence of the sparse pattern was significantly greater in the infiltrating than in the non-infiltrating areas. In both areas, the incidence of sparse pattern was greater in the short-term than in the long-term survivors. These data suggest that the disappearance of FN reflects the aggressiveness of the tumor and presumably plays an important role in the prognosis of adenocarcinoma of the lung.
Nishino
T
T
Second Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.
Ishida
T
T
Oka
T
T
Yasumoto
K
K
Sugimachi
K
K
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000032:analysis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000032:analysis* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis
D005353:Fibronectins