High p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts predicts poor survival in patients with clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.
BACKGROUND
Increasing evidence indicates that the TGFβ/Smad signaling pathway plays a prominent role in tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis. Therefore, we investigate the expression of p-Smad2 in surgical resection specimens from non-small cell lung cancer, and evaluate the prognostic significance of p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells for patients with clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.


METHODS
The immunohistochemical expression of p-Smad2 was evaluated in 78 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded surgical resection specimens from clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer. Correlations between p-Smad2 expression and clinicopathologic characteristics were determined by Chi-square test. The prognostic significance of p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells with regard to overall survival was determined by Kaplan-Meier.


RESULTS
There were 38.5% (30/78) and 92.3% (72/78) patients with high p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts and cancer cells, respectively. There was a positive correlation between the p-Smad2 expression level in stromal fibroblasts and the p-Smad2 expression level in cancer cells (χ2=4.176, P=0.045). No significant correlation of p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts or cancer cells with any of clinicopathologic characteristics was found. The 3-year overall survival rates with low and high p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts were 53.7% and 37.7%, respectively (χ2=3.86, P=0.049). No significant association was found between low and high p-Smad2 expression in cancer cells with respect to overall survival, respectively (χ2=0.34, P=0.562).


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggested that high p-Smad2 expression in stromal fibroblasts predicted poor survival in patients with clinical stage I to IIIA non-small cell lung cancer.
Yongbing
Y
Chen
Pengfei
P
Xing
Yuanyuan
Y
Chen
Li
L
Zou
Yongsheng
Y
Zhang
Feng
F
Li
Department of Oncology & Radiotherapy, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou 215004, Jiangsu Province, P,R, China. luxueguan@163.com.
Xueguan
X
Lu
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D018287:Carcinoma, Large Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011379:Prognosis; D051899:Smad2 Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015996:Survival Rate
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C497782:SMAD2 protein, human; D051899:Smad2 Protein