Role of hormone receptor expression in patients with advanced-stage lung cancer treated with chemotherapy.
BACKGROUND
Evidence that supports a role for hormonal status in lung cancer has been inconsistently reported and is still unclear. We retrospectively assessed the potential correlation between sex-linked hormone receptor expression and the clinical outcome of patients with advanced-stage lung cancer treated with chemotherapy.


METHODS
Based on tissue availability, 130 consecutive patients diagnosed at San Luigi Hospital from January 2008 to June 2010 were collected, including 24 small-cell lung cancer, 57 adenocarcinomas, 34 squamous cell carcinomas, 5 large-cell carcinomas, and 10 non-small-cell lung cancer-not otherwise specified. The immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors (ER-α and ER-β) and progesterone receptor, aromatase, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), and excision repair cross-complementing 1 (ERCC1) was assessed.


RESULTS
ER-β nuclear expression was higher than ER-α and progesterone receptor, whose expression was null or weak (mainly in women). ER-β expression was significantly higher in patients with metastatic disease compared with all other disease stages (P = .02). EGFR expression was strongly correlated with non-small-cell lung cancer histology, being higher in squamous types and stage related. In men, aromatase positive cases had a worse outcome (P = .03) as well as in men with non-small-cell lung cancer and high ER-β expression. In the latter group, the combined aromatase negative and/or low ER-β expression and low ERCC1 and/or low ER-β expression showed a better outcome (P = .026; P = .03, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with advanced-stage lung cancer treated with chemotherapy, the prognostic and predictive role of sex-linked hormone receptor expression, if any, is of borderline significance and is restricted to selected subgroups of patients.
Department of Clinical and Biological Sciences, University of Turin at San Luigi Hospital, Orbassano (Torino), Italy.
Valentina
V
Monica
Marina
M
Longo
Barbara
B
Felice
Giorgio V
GV
Scagliotti
Mauro
M
Papotti
Silvia
S
Novello
D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001141:Aromatase / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D004720:Endonucleases / Q000235:genetics; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; D001141:Aromatase; D066246:ErbB Receptors; C071447:ERCC1 protein, human; D004720:Endonucleases