[Quantitative analysis of Tiam1 expression in lung cancer and its clinical significance].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relationship between the expression of T lymphoma invasion and metastasis inducing factor 1 (Tiam1) and the progression, metastasis, TNM stage, and histological types of lung carcinoma.


METHODS
Immunohistochemistry was performed to detect the expression of Tiam1 in 116 lung carcinoma specimens. The expression intensity (measured in positive unit, PU) of Tiam1 in these tissues was assessed quantitatively using Imagepro Plus image analysis software.


RESULTS
The PU of Tiam1 was significantly greater in primary lung carcinomas with lymph node metastases than in those without metastases (t=-2.089, P=0.039). Lung cancers of TNM stage II-IV had stronger expression than those of stage I (t=-2.272, P=0.025). The PU of Tiam1 differed significantly between different histological types of lung cancer, and squamouscell cell carcinoma had a lower PU than adenocarcinoma, large cell carcinoma and small cell carcinoma (P<0.05). The intensity of Tiam1 expression was not associated with the patients' gender, age, general types, smoking history, pneumoconiosis or differentiation of lung carcinoma.


CONCLUSIONS
These results strongly suggest that Tiam1 is an invasion and metastasis inducing factor of lung carcinoma. The overexpression of Tiam1 is closely associated with lymph node metastases, TNM stage and histological types of lung carcinoma.
Department of Pathology, Nanfang Hospital1, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China. lymell@163.com
Yu-mei
YM
Li
Wen-juan
WJ
Qi
Hong
H
Shen
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D000075684:T-Lymphoma Invasion and Metastasis-inducing Protein 1
D020662:Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors; D000075684:T-Lymphoma Invasion and Metastasis-inducing Protein 1; C087334:TIAM1 protein, human