title: Immunohistochemical analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor family members in stage I non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To elucidate the relationship between the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor family members (ErbB-1, neu/ErbB-2, ErbB-3, and ErbB-4) and tumor recurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used immunohistochemistry to examine the expression of four epidermal growth factor receptor family members in 73 patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using Cox univariate analysis, we determined that angiolymphatic tumor emboli and non-well-differentiated tumor cells were two significant conventional pathologic predictors of tumor recurrence, and that ErbB-1 and ErbB-3 were also significant predictors. Co-expression of ErbB-1+, -3+, or expression of three or more epidermal growth factor receptor family members had a significant effect on lung cancer recurrence. A stepwise multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression analysis provided a predictive model for tumor recurrence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study shows that in patients with a non-well-differentiated tumor, overexpression of ErbB-3 is a useful marker for predicting tumor recurrence. The present study also confirmed that ErbB-1 expression increased in proportion to the loss of tumor differentiation. The correlation between ErbB-3 and distant metastasis was good.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, College of Management Science, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: F F
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Y L
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Tseng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000032:analysis; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000032:analysis; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3; D066247:Receptor, ErbB-4; C587689:ERBB4 protein, human