Open AccessAssociation of tumor TROP2 expression with prognosis varies among lung cancer subtypes
Author(s) -
Kentaro Inamura,
Yusuke Yokouchi,
Maki Kobayashi,
Hironori Ninomiya,
Rie Sakakibara,
Sophia Subat,
Hiroko Nagano,
K. Nomura,
Sakae Okumura,
Tomoko Shibutani,
Yuichi Ishikawa
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
oncotarget
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.373
H-Index - 127
ISSN - 1949-2553
DOI - 10.18632/oncotarget.15647
Subject(s) - medicine , lung cancer , cancer , oncology , immunohistochemistry , adenocarcinoma , pathology
TROP2 is a transmembrane glycoprotein that is overexpressed in various cancers. Emerging evidence suggests that TROP2-targeting therapies are efficacious and safe in patients with multiple prior treatments. TROP2 is a promising target for lung cancer treatment; however, little is known regarding the association of TROP2 expression with clinicopathological/molecular features, including prognosis, in lung cancer. We examined consecutive cases of adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC), and high-grade neuroendocrine tumor (HGNET) for the membranous expression of TROP2 using immunohistochemistry. High TROP2 expression was observed in 64% (172/270) of adenocarcinomas, 75% (150/201) of SqCCs, and 18% (21/115) of HGNETs. Intriguingly, the association of TROP2 expression with mortality was dependent on the lung cancer subtype. High TROP2 expression was associated with higher lung cancer-specific mortality in adenocarcinomas [univariable hazard ratio (HR) = 1.60, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-2.44, P = 0.022)], but not in SqCCs (univariable HR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.35-1.94, P = 0.79). In HGNETs, high TROP2 expression was associated with lower lung cancer-specific mortality in both univariable and multivariable analyses (multivariable HR = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.020-0.44, P = 0.0003). Our results suggest a differential role for TROP2 in different lung cancer subtypes.