Relationship between micropapillary component and micrometastasis in the regional lymph nodes of patients with stage I lung adenocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether a micropapillary component is a prognostic predictor, with particular reference to nodal micrometastasis, in patients with stage I lung adenocarcinomas.


RESULTS
Thirty-five cases with stage I lung adenocarcinomas, obtained from lobectomies or pneumonectomies, and 434 dissected hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes, were retrospectively reviewed. A micropapillary component and nodal micrometastasis were found in 16 (45.7%) and 14 (40%) of the 35 cases, respectively, with nodal micrometastasis in 24 (5.5%) of the 434 lymph nodes, in an immunohistochemical study using an anti-cytokeratin antibody. Ten (62.5%) of the 16 cases with a micropapillary component, and four (21.1%) of the remaining 19 cases, showed nodal micrometastases (P = 0.014). Kaplan-Meier survival curves demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the cases with and without a micropapillary component (P = 0.28). However, the 5 years' survival of the cases with and without nodal micrometastases were 71.4% and 35.7%, respectively (P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
A micropapillary component may be a manifestation of aggressive behaviour, as shown by frequent micrometastasis, for stage I lung adenocarcinomas.
Roh
M S
MS
Department of Pathology, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea. msroh@netian.com
Lee
J I
JI
Choi
P J
PJ
Hong
Y S
YS
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000032:analysis; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis
D007633:Keratins