Prevalence and prognostic value of c-erbB2 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
The c-erbB2 oncoprotein is highly expressed in approximately one third of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. We determined the status of c-erbB2 expression in our patients with NSCLC and investigated its correlation with disease stage, histological type and response to treatment. Eighty-four patients were examined for the expression of c-erbB2 by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antibody. The scoring criteria of Clinical Trial Assay (CTA) were used to evaluate staining (0 to +3). c-erbB2 overexpression was determined in 35% of the cases. Tumors from higher stage disease (stage IIIb-IV) were more often c-erbB2 positive in adenocarcinoma (ADC) (p=0.04). In addition, there was an association between c-erbB2 score and disease stage in ADC patients (p=0.03). Our study did not demonstrate an association of c-erbB2 overexpression with response to chemotherapy. We conclude that c-erbB2 overexpression may be a prognostic marker for evaluating tumor progression in NSCLC patients but further studies must be performed with larger patient populations.
Turken
O
O
Department of Medical Oncology, Haydarpasa Training Hospital, Istanbul, 81020 Turkey. oturken@hotmail.com
Kunter
E
E
Cermik
H
H
Isitmangil
T
T
Kandemir
G
G
Yaylaci
M
M
Ozturk
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005047:Etoposide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002945:Cisplatin; D005047:Etoposide; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases