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NCAM and lung cancer
Author(s) -
Michalides Rob,
Kwa Bibi,
Springall David,
Van Zandwijk Nico,
Koopman Jaap,
Hilkens John,
Mooi Wolter
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910570707
Subject(s) - lung cancer , medicine , cancer , pathology , lung , oncology
The presence of the neural cell adhesion molecule, NCAM, is indicative for a poor prognosis in lung‐cancer patients. Using MAb 735, we have investigated the expression of polysialic acid, PSA, on NCAM in a spectrum of neuro‐endocrine lung tumors, ranging from the slowly growing typical carcinoids via the atypical carcinoids with clinically unpredictable behavior to the highly aggressive small‐eel I lung carcinomas. Our immunohistochemical findings indicate a significant association between the presence of PSA on the tumor cells and an aggressive and immature sub‐type of the tumor. This might be related to impairment of cell‐cell and cell‐matrix interactions by the presence of PSA, as we demonstrated in vitro , since detachment is one of the first steps in the metastatic process. The NCAM‐MAb 123C3 used in these studies appeared extremely useful in immunoscintigraphy and immunotherapy of SCLC xenografts in nude mice, and for immunoscintigraphy of a SCLC patient. This may be explained by internalization of the 123C3 antibody, which we demonstrated in vitro. 123C3 is the only Cluster‐1 SCLC MAb studied thus far that becomes internalized.