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Neuroendocrine differentiation in non‐small cell lung cancer and its relation to prognosis and therapy
Author(s) -
Howe M C,
Chapman A,
Kerr K,
Dougal M,
Anderson H,
Hasleton P S
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2559.2005.02047.x
Subject(s) - chromogranin a , synaptophysin , neuroendocrine differentiation , neural cell adhesion molecule , chemotherapy , lung cancer , medicine , immunohistochemistry , clinical significance , oncology , pathology , carcinoma , large cell , cancer , adenocarcinoma , cell , cell adhesion , biology , genetics , prostate cancer
Aims : Histopathologists report the presence of neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation in non‐small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) in up to a third of cases and are often questioned about its clinical relevance. The conclusions of previous studies have been inconsistent. This paper aims to provide an answer by examining a large series together with a comprehensive critique of the literature. Methods and results : Four hundred and thirty‐nine cases of NSCLC were examined, immunohistochemically, using antibodies to chromogranin A (CGA), synaptophysin (SYN) and CD56/neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM). Three hundred and forty‐one cases had been treated with surgical resection and the remainder with chemotherapy. The results were compared with clinical outcome. Thity‐six percent of cases had positive staining for at least one NE marker. CGA was positive in 5.5% of cases, SYN in 16.5% and NCAM in 28%. There was no association between the presence of NE markers and survival in either the surgically treated group or the chemotherapy‐treated group. There was also no association between NE markers and response to chemotherapy in the latter group. Conclusions : The presence of immunohistochemically detected NE differentiation in NSCLC is not of prognostic significance.