title: Survival analysis of patients with stage I non-small-cell lung cancer using clinical and DNA repair pathway expression variables.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality. Understanding patient attributes that enhance survival and predict recurrence is necessary to individualize treatment options.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients (N = 162) were dichotomized into favorable (n = 101) and unfavorable (n = 61) groups based on survival characteristics. Ku86 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) expression measures were incorporated into the analyses. LR, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cox regression were used to investigate intervariable relationships and survival. Odds ratios (ORs) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess associations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sex (OR, 0.32; CI-0.14, 0.76), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) (OR, 0.41; CI-0.17, 0.98), and recurrence (OR, 0.04; CI-0.01, 0.20) confer an unfavorable outcome with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az) = 0.788. Patients with increased tumor grade (OR = 1.84; CI-1.06, 3.19) or increased Ku86 intensity (OR, 2.03; CI-1.08, 3.82) were more likely to be male individuals, and older patients (OR, 1.70; CI-(1.14, 2.52) were more likely to have SCC. Patients older than the median age (HR, 1.86; CI-1.11, 3.12), patients with SCC (HR, 1.78; CI-1.05, 3.01), patients with recurrence (HR, 4.16; CI-2.37, 7.31), and male patients (HR, 2.03; CI-1.20, 3.43) have a higher hazard. None of the DNA repair measures were associated with significant HRs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Clinical and pathologic factors that enhance and limit survival for patients with stage I NSCLC were quantified. The DNA repair measures showed little association. These findings are important given that certain clinical and pathologic features are related to better long-term survival outcome than others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA. mbehera@emory.edu
authors.forename: Madhusmita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behera
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Heine
authors.forename: Gabriel L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Sica
authors.forename: Erin E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Ha
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Robert W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Anthony A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gal
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hermann
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mayfield
authors.forename: Fadlo R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Khuri
authors.forename: Taofeek K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Owonikoko
authors.forename: Suresh S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Ramalingam
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D004260:DNA Repair; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging