title: Prognostic role of proliferating cell nuclear antigen in lung cancer: an immunohistochemical analysis.
abstract: Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a 36 kDa protein acting as a subunit of DNA polymerase delta, and is therefore associated with DNA replication. Its involvement in DNA excision repair after DNA sub-lethal damage has been reported. We assessed the immunohistochemical expression of PCNA in 94 lung cancer specimens in order to evaluate its potential relationship with clinical history and the outcome of the evaluated patients. We found PCNA protein expressed in all the evaluated neoplastic specimens, but with different expression levels. In addition, our results showed a subgroup of patients (high expressors) having a statistically significant worse outcome compared to the other two groups of patients, independently of' any other clinico-pathological feature. In conclusion, our data highlight the central role of PCNA and estimation of the proliferation rate in the prediction of the prognosis of lung cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Diseases, II University of Naples, Napoli, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caputi
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Groger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pacilio
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murabito
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dekan
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wolner
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giordano
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D017741:Survivors
chemical_list: D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen