title: Tumor-stroma ratio is an independent predictor for survival in NSCLC.
abstract: Tumor-stroma ratio (TSR) has been identified as a new and practicable prognostic factor in some solid tumors. The aim of the study is to evaluate the prognostic value of TSR in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A total of 404 patients who underwent surgery resection for NSCLC were included in this study. TSR was assessed visually on the hematoxylin-stained tissue sections of surgical specimens. Patients with more than 50% intratumor stroma were quantified as the stroma-rich group and those with less than 50% as the stroma-poor group. In 404 cases of tissue samples, 302 cases were included in the stroma-poor group, while 102 cases in stroma-rich group. The different expression of TSR in NSCLC tissue was not correlated with gender, age, smoking history, tumor diameter, histology, differentiation grade and pTNM staging. In the Cox univariate and multivariate analyses of the 5-year OS, the HRs of the TSR were 1.818 (95% CI; 1.323-2.497; P<0.001) and 1.748 (95% CI; 1.262-2.422; P<0.05), respectively. As for DFS, the HRs were 1.715 (95% CI; 1.249-2.354; P<0.001) and 1.570 (95% CI; 1.135-2.172; P<0.05). Stroma-rich tumors were associated with poor prognosis and an increased risk of relapse, which may serve as a new prognostic histological characteristic in NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Tiehong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Hongchang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ni
authors.affiliation: Institute of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China ; Department of Thoracic Surgery, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong University, Shandong University Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Jiajun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Du
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012307:Risk Factors; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: TSR; non-small cell lung cancer; prognosis; targeted therapy