Premium
Metallothionein expression in patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung
Author(s) -
Joseph Mariamma G.,
Banerjee Diponkar,
Kocha Walter,
Feld Ronald,
Stitt Larry W.,
Cherian M. G.
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(20010815)92:4<836::aid-cncr1390>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - medicine , oncology , proliferating cell nuclear antigen , exact test , chemotherapy , gastroenterology , immunohistochemistry
BACKGROUND Patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCLC) are known to have an extremely poor prognosis, with a 5‐year survivor rate of only 5%. Chemotherapeutic drug resistance is a major obstacle to curative therapy in patients with SCLC. METHODS The authors evaluated retrospectively the expression of metallothionen (MT), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), p53, and retinoblastoma gene product (RBGP) in biopsy samples from 58 patients with SCLC prior to standard chemotherapy. The objective was to study the correlation between MT and other molecular markers in SCLC and correlate these data with the clinical outcome of patients. The authors studied 28 short‐term survivors (STS; survival < 24 months) and 30 long‐term survivors (LTS; survival > 24 months). RESULTS In line with expectations, the authors found a strong inverse association between stage and survival. Of 58 patients with SCLC, 26 patients (45%; 17 STS and 9 LTS) showed MT expression, 55 patients (94%; 28 STS and 27 LTS) were positive for PCNA, 28 patients (48%; 16 STS and 12 LTS) were positive for p53, and only 6 patients (10%; 1 STS and 5 LTS) showed positivity for RBGP. On comparing the percent positivity of various markers in the two survivor groups, there was greater frequency of expression of MT, PCNA, and p53 and lower RBGP expression in the STS group compared with the LTS group. However, only the difference in expression of MT between the two survivor groups was statistically significant (Fisher exact test; P = 0.034). Multivariable analysis using a logistic regression model showed a significant association between MT expression and patient survival after adjusting for disease stage (chi‐square test; P = 0.022). There was also a statistically significant association between MT expression and p53 expression (chi‐square test; P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS In this study, of the molecular markers studied, the authors demonstrated that only MT overexpression was independently predictive of short‐term survival in patients with SCLC undergoing chemotherapy. Cancer 2001;92:836–42. © 2001 American Cancer Society.