Cell cycle related proteins as prognostic parameters in radically resected non-small cell lung cancer
- V Esposito1,
- A Baldi2,
- A De Luca3,
- G Tonini4,
- B Vincenzi4,
- D Santini4,
- P Persichetti5,
- A Mancini6,
- G Citro7,
- F Baldi2,
- A M Groeger1,
- M Caputi6
- 1International Society for the Study of Comparative Oncology (ISSCO), Silver Spring, MD 209 06, USA
- 2Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics “F. Cedrangolo”, Section of Anatomic Pathology, Second University of Naples, Naples 80138, Italy
- 3Department of Medicine and Public Health, Section of Clinical Anatomy, Second University of Naples
- 4Section of Oncology, Campus BioMedico University, Rome 00100, Italy
- 5Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Campus BioMedico University
- 6Department of Cardiological, Respiratory and Thoracic Medical Sciences, Second University of Naples
- 7SAFU Department, Regina Elena Cancer Institute, Rome 00100, Italy
- Correspondence to: Dr A Baldi Via G. Orsi 25, 80128 Naples, Italy; alfonsobalditiscali.it
- Accepted 4 January 2005
Abstract
Background: Experimental evidence suggests that lung cancer development and progression can be linked to an increased proliferation rate.
Aims/Methods: To evaluate the immunohistochemical expression of seven components of the cell cycle machinery in a series of well characterised non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) specimens (n = 105).
Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that simultaneous loss of expression of three of these factors—cyclin D1, the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor p16, and the tumour suppressor retinoblastoma protein Rb2/p130—correlated with survival, confirming the hypothesis that the cyclin D1–p16–retinoblastoma tumour suppressor pathway is inactivated in most lung cancer samples.
Conclusions: These results suggest that loss of control of cell cycle checkpoints is a common occurrence in lung cancer and support the idea that functional cooperation between different cell cycle regulatory proteins constitutes another level of regulation in cell growth control and tumour suppression.
- CI, confidence interval
- NSCLC, non-small cell lung cancer
- PCNA, proliferating nuclear cell antigen
- pRb, retinoblastoma protein
