Clinicopathological features in young patients treated for small-cell lung cancer: significance of immunohistological and molecular analyses.
BACKGROUND
Small-cell lung cancer in young patients is very rare and has not been adequately described. In addition, malignancies associated with genetic rearrangements of nuclear protein of the testis (NUT) have been reported in young patients.


METHODS
We reviewed the clinical records of patients younger than 40 years of age who had been diagnosed as having SCLC and had been treated for this condition. We also examined NUT rearrangements using immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis.


RESULTS
We evaluated the diagnoses and treatment outcomes of 8 young patients among 747 SCLC patients. Based on further analyses using IHC staining and FISH, NUT rearrangements were found in 2 of these cases. The range of the overall survival period was 3.6 to 49.7 months. The 2 patients with NUT rearrangements survived for less than 12 months.


CONCLUSIONS
NUT rearrangements were identified in 2 patients who had been previously diagnosed as having SCLC. Further attention regarding the diagnosis of SCLC in young patients is needed.
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Tomoko Katsui
TK
Taniyama
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: hnokihar@ncc.go.jp.
Hiroshi
H
Nokihara
Division of Pathology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Koji
K
Tsuta
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Hidehito
H
Horinouchi
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Shintaro
S
Kanda
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Yutaka
Y
Fujiwara
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Noboru
N
Yamamoto
Shien-Lab, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Fumiaki
F
Koizumi
Division of Breast and Medical Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Mayu
M
Yunokawa
Division of Thoracic Oncology, National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.
Tomohide
T
Tamura
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055752:Small Cell Lung Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate; D055815:Young Adult
C000630260:NUTM1 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015513:Oncogene Proteins
Chemotherapy; FISH; IHC; NUT midline carcinoma; NUT rearrangements