Prognostic significance of dysadherin expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of dysadherin and E-cadherin and to investigate their clinical significance as prognostic factors in non-small cell lung cancer.


METHODS
Non-small cell lung cancer specimens were obtained from 131 patients undergoing clinically indicated operations at the Department of General and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kanazawa University Hospital, between 1995 and 1997. All patients had undergone curative resection of the primary tumor, including systematic lymph node dissection. The avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method was used for immunostaining of dysadherin and E-cadherin.


RESULTS
Among the 131 lung cancer specimens, 46 (35.1%) tumors were positively stained with dysadherin. Preserved membranous E-cadherin staining was present in 45.8% (60/131) of cases. In this analysis dysadherin expression was not correlated with E-cadherin expression (P = .1333), but a significant association was observed between dysadherin expression and survival time. The overall survival of patients with dysadherin-positive tumors was significantly worse than that of those with dysadherin-negative tumors (P = .0059). Patients with reduced E-cadherin immunopositivity survived significantly shorter than those with preserved E-cadherin immunopositivity (P = .0406). The overall survival of patients with positive dysadherin and reduced E-cadherin expression was significantly worse than that of patients with negative dysadherin and preserved E-cadherin expression (P = .0002). Multivariate analysis revealed the independent prognostic value of dysadherin positivity, reduced E-cadherin expression, and lymph node metastasis on overall survival.


CONCLUSIONS
Dysadherin expression is an independent prognostic factor of survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, and combined immunohistochemical analysis of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression might provide further prognostic information.
Tamura
Masaya
M
Department of General and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kanazawa University School of Medicine, Kanazawa, Japan. m-tamura@sf.m.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Ohta
Yasuhiko
Y
Tsunezuka
Yoshio
Y
Matsumoto
Isao
I
Kawakami
Kazuyuki
K
Oda
Makoto
M
Watanabe
Go
G
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007473:Ion Channels; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000401:mortality; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; C451410:FXYD5 protein, human; D007473:Ion Channels; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins