title: Immunohistochemical Expression and Serum Levels of CD44 as Prognostic Indicators in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  CD44 is often expressed in various types of tumor cells and involved in a number of biological behaviors of malignancy. The present study focused on the clinical significance of the expression of CD44st and CD44v6 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  
  
  METHODS
  The cohort consisted of 261 consecutive patients who had undergone complete resection of NSCLC. CD44 expression was evaluated in surgical specimens by immunohistochemical staining. Serum CD44 levels were determined using a sandwich ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the immunohistochemical analysis, significant correlations were observed between CD44 expression and clinicopathological factors such as the T factor, N factor, pathological stage, and histological type. The 5-year survival rates according to CD44v6 expression were 65.8 and 80.6% in the higher and lower expression groups, respectively (p = 0.0053). According to ELISA, the group with higher expression of serum CD44v6 also showed a significantly more unfavorable prognosis than the lower expression group (p = 0.014). According to multivariate analysis using these significant variables, serum CD44v6 level was found to be an independent prognostic factor (p = 0.048).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CD44v6 overexpression and higher serum CD44v6 levels were found to be significantly unfavorable prognostic factors.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Kitakyushu, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinohara
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hanagiri
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Taira
authors.forename: Masaru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takenaka
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chikaishi
authors.forename: Hidetaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uramoto
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: So
authors.forename: Sohsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Fumihiro
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C497483:CD44 protein, human; C112697:CD44v6 antigen; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors