title: Serum levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer: correlation with histological expression of ICAM-1 and tumour stage.
abstract: The expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1, CD54) seems to have an influence on the metastatic behaviour of tumour cells via immunological mechanisms. Recently, a soluble form of ICAM-1 was identified in physiological fluids. We analysed the serum levels of sICAM-1 in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and healthy individuals using a sandwich ELISA technique. Sera from 51 patients with NSCLC were tested for sICAM-1 (46 male, five female; age 38-81 years, median 64 years), 29 of whom presented with localized and 26 with metastatic disease. The control group consisted of 40 healthy individuals (20 smokers, 20 non-smokers). Immunohistochemical analysis of ICAM-1 in tumour cells was performed in 20 cases. Patients with NSCLC had significantly higher serum levels of sICAM-1 compared with healthy non-smokers (P = 0.00001) and smokers (P= 0.0328). Metastatic disease was associated with higher sICAM-1 than localized tumours (P = 0.0013). Only 11 out of 23 patients with localized NSCLC had sICAM-1 levels >300 ng ml(-1), compared with 25 out of 28 patients with metastatic disease. Histological expression of ICAM-1 was positively correlated with serum slCAM-1 (P = 0.0399). No difference was observed between histological tumour types with regard to sICAM-1 or NSCLC expression of ICAM-1. In sequential analysis (13 patients), rising sICAM-1 levels predicted a short-term fatal outcome (P = 0.0054) but, overall, sICAM-1 levels did not correlate with prognosis. In the control group, smokers showed significantly higher levels than non-smokers (P = 0.0016). In contrast to patients with NSCLC, sICAM-1 in the control group was correlated to the leucocyte count (r = 0.580, P = 0.003). In conclusion, serum levels of sICAM-1 seem to be associated with tumour burden and histological expression of ICAM-1 in patients with NSCLC. However, the (patho-) physiological role of ICAM-1 in NSCLC remains to be determined.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Marienhospital Herne, Ruhr-University of Bochum, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grothey
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Heistermann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Philippou
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voigtmann
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000097:blood*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012907:Smoking / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D018799:Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1