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Clinical characterization of pulmonary large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma and large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine morphology
Author(s) -
Iyoda Akira,
Hiroshima Kenzo,
Toyozaki Tetsuya,
Haga Yukiko,
Fujisawa Takehiko,
Ohwada Hidemi
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(20010601)91:11<1992::aid-cncr1224>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - pathology , large cell , medicine , carcinoma , neuroendocrine differentiation , immunohistochemistry , neuroendocrine tumors , lung cancer , small cell lung carcinoma , small cell carcinoma , cancer , neuroendocrine cell , oncology , adenocarcinoma , prostate cancer
BACKGROUND Large cell carcinoma has been classified as four potential types based on its neuroendocrine morphology and evidence of neuroendocrine differentiation discernible by immunohistochemistry or electron microscopy. However, the clinical relation among these four categories has not been clearly defined. In 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) categorized large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma as a variant of large cell carcinoma. MATERIAL AND METHODS The authors analyzed 119 cases of large cell carcinoma from a total of 2070 primary lung carcinoma cases resected surgically between 1969–1999. Using light microscopy, electron microscopy, and immunohistochemical staining, the authors reclassified these cases into large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC), large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine differentiation (LCCND), large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine morphology (LCCNM), and classic large cell carcinoma (CLCC). RESULTS In multivariate analyses, the authors found that large cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine features, which combined LCNEC, LCCND, and LCCNM, impacted both the overall survival and disease‐free survival of patients. The clinical behavior of LCCNM was similar to that of LCNEC. CONCLUSIONS Large cell carcinomas with neuroendocrine features appear to be more clinically aggressive than CLCCs. The authors' findings suggest that the histologic identification of neuroendocrine features in tumor tissue from patients diagnosed with large cell carcinoma of the lung may have clinical relevance. Cancer 2001;91:1992–2000. © 2001 American Cancer Society.