title: Expression levels of some antioxidant and epidermal growth factor receptor genes in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: THIS STUDY WAS AIMED AT: (i) investigating the expression profiles of some antioxidant and epidermal growth factor receptor genes in cancerous and unaffected tissues of patients undergoing lung resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (cross-sectional phase), (ii) evaluating if gene expression levels at the time of surgery may be associated to patients' survival (prospective phase). Antioxidant genes included heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), superoxide dismutase-1 (SOD-1), and -2 (SOD-2), whereas epidermal growth factor receptor genes consisted of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and v-erb-b2 erythroblastic leukaemia viral oncogene homolog 2 (HER-2). Twenty-eight couples of lung biopsies were obtained and gene transcripts were quantified by Real Time RT-PCR. The average follow-up of patients lasted about 60 months. In the cancerous tissues, antioxidant genes were significantly hypo-expressed than in unaffected tissues. The HER-2 transcript levels prevailed in adenocarcinomas, whereas EGFR in squamocellular carcinomas. Patients overexpressing HER-2 in the cancerous tissues showed significantly lower 5-year survival than the others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Applied Medicine, Section of Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene, University of Brescia, Piazzale Spedali Civili, 1, 25123 Brescia, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: De Palma
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mozzoni
authors.forename: Olga
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Acampa
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Internullo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carbognani
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rusca
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldoni
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corradi
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tiseo
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Apostoli
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mutti