Prognostic significance of dysadherin expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of dysadherin and E-cadherin and to investigate their clinical significance as prognostic factors in non-small cell lung cancer. METHODS: Non-small cell lung cancer specimens were obtained from 131 patients undergoing clinically indicated operations at the Department of General and Cardiothoracic Surgery, Kanazawa University Hospital, between 1995 and 1997. All patients had undergone curative resection of the primary tumor, including systematic lymph node dissection. The avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method was used for immunostaining of dysadherin and E-cadherin. RESULTS: Among the 131 lung cancer specimens, 46 (35.1%) tumors were positively stained with dysadherin. Preserved membranous E-cadherin staining was present in 45.8% (60/131) of cases. In this analysis dysadherin expression was not correlated with E-cadherin expression (P = .1333), but a significant association was observed between dysadherin expression and survival time. The overall survival of patients with dysadherin-positive tumors was significantly worse than that of those with dysadherin-negative tumors (P = .0059). Patients with reduced E-cadherin immunopositivity survived significantly shorter than those with preserved E-cadherin immunopositivity (P = .0406). The overall survival of patients with positive dysadherin and reduced E-cadherin expression was significantly worse than that of patients with negative dysadherin and preserved E-cadherin expression (P = .0002). Multivariate analysis revealed the independent prognostic value of dysadherin positivity, reduced E-cadherin expression, and lymph node metastasis on overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: Dysadherin expression is an independent prognostic factor of survival in patients with non-small cell lung cancer, and combined immunohistochemical analysis of dysadherin and E-cadherin expression might provide further prognostic information.     

E-cadherin immunostaining of bladder transitional cell carcinoma, carcinoma in situ and lymph node metastases with long-term followup

PURPOSE: We analyze the expression of E-cadherin in bladder transitional cell carcinoma, areas of carcinoma in situ and lymph node metastases, and determine the value of E-cadherin immunoreactivity for predicting disease progression and survival of patients with bladder transitional cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 77 patients who underwent radical cystectomy. Formalin fixed paraffin sections were processed with a hot, citric acid antigen retrieval method, followed by immunostaining with anti-E-cadherin monoclonal antibody and a standard avidin biotin complex technique. E-cadherin expression was also evaluated in carcinoma in situ sections (18) and in regional lymph node metastases (17). RESULTS: Loss of normal membrane E-cadherin immunoreactivity was found in 59 (77%) patients. Abnormal expression of E-cadherin was associated with muscle invasive disease (p = 0.010) and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.044). Of the 18 carcinoma in situ specimens 15 (83%) and of the 17 metastatic lymph nodes 13 (76%) had abnormal E-cadherin expression. Concordance rates of E-cadherin status in carcinoma in situ areas and metastatic lymph nodes with the primary tumors were 85% and 88%, respectively. At a median followup of 128 months, abnormal E-cadherin expression was significantly associated with disease progression (p = 0.0219) and bladder cancer specific survival (p = 0.037). E-cadherin expression and pathological stage but not grade were independent predictors of disease progression (p = 0.042, 0.047 and 0.158, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: In bladder cancer altered E-cadherin expression is associated with the degree of invasiveness, lymph node metastasis and increased risk of death from bladder cancer. Furthermore, E-cadherin status is an independent predictor of disease progression in patients treated with cystectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.     

非小细胞肺癌组织中上皮钙黏蛋白的表达及与预后的关系

目的探讨非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)组织中上皮钙黏蛋白(Ecadherin)的表达及与预后的关系。方法用组织阵列仪构建365例NSCLC患者手术切除癌组织标本的组织芯片,对该芯片进行Ecadherin免疫组化染色,并分析Ecadherin表达与临床病理资料及生存预后的关系。365例中,鳞癌116例、腺癌199例、腺鳞癌等组织类型50例。结果Ecadherin蛋白主要在肿瘤细胞的胞膜和细胞质中表达,有32.1%(117/365)为Ecadherin低表达。Ecadherin低表达与淋巴结转移(χ2=16.430,P=0.001)、肿瘤细胞低分化(χ2=9.243,P=0.010)以及临床病理分期(χ2=9.421,P=0.024)呈正相关,而与病理类型无明显关系;Ecadherin表达与NSCLC预后差密切相关(P<0.0001)。多因素生存分析表明,Ecadherin表达是NSCLC预后差的独立预后因素(P<0.001)。结论Ecadherin可能与NSCLC的进展有关,其表达状态是NSCLC独立预后因素。     

抑癌基因P16在肺癌中的表达及意义

目的研究ｐ１６基因产物在人肺癌中的表达及其意义。方法用兔抗人ｐ１６多克隆抗体，以ＳＰ免疫组织化学方法检测肺癌组织中ｐ１６蛋白表达。结果ｐ１６在肺癌中表达阳性率为５８．５％（６２／１０６），在腺癌中的表达较鳞癌和小细胞癌高（Ｐ＜０．０５）。在鳞癌和腺癌中ｐ１６表达阳性率随着分化程度的降低而下降，高分化和低分化鳞癌之间ｐ１６阳性率有非常显著的差异（Ｐ＜０．０１）；鳞癌和腺癌中ｐ１６阳性率与有无淋巴结转移有密切关系（Ｐ＜０．０５）；与肺癌病理分期无明显关系。结论ｐ１６基因在不同类型肺癌的发生过程中作用不同，且与肺癌分化不良和有无淋巴结转移有密切关系。     

E-cadherin abnormalities resulting from CPG methylation promoter in metastatic and nonmetastatic oral cancer

BACKGROUND: This study aims to compare the alterations in the methylation profiles of E-cadherin in oral cancer, especially in tumors with lowest metatastic potential. METHODS: Nine oral verrucous carcinomas (VCs), 20 oral well-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas without lymph node involvement (SCC-pN0), and 17 with lymph node involvement (SCC-pN+) were analyzed using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin gene. RESULTS: The immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin in VC was significantly higher (p = .016) when compared with SCC-pN0 and SCC-pN+ groups. The E-cadherin gene methylation was not correlated with its abnormal immunohistochemical expression in VC and SCC-pN0. All tumors of the SCC-pN+ group with unmethylated E-cadherin gene showed significant loss of E-cadherin immunoexpression (p = .044). CONCLUSIONS: The E-cadherin gene methylation presence in tumors with lowest invasive and metastatic potential, such as VC, suggests the early involvement of this epigenetic event in the multistep progression of the oral carcinogenesis.     

Prediction of hematogenous recurrence in patients with esophageal carcinoma

Objectives: Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment of esophageal carcinoma, the future risk of hematogenous recurrence is still unpredictable. To identify risk factors of hematogenous recurrence in esophageal carcinoma, we used pathological and immunohistochemical analysis to examine relationships among clinical outcomes, clinicopathological features, and E-cadherin expression.Methods: Subjects were 102 patients with thoracic esophageal cancer who had undergone curative esophagectomy without preoperative treatment. We used univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses to examine the relationship among clinical outcomes, clinicopathological features, and E-cadherin expression.Results: There was no significant relationship between E-cadherin expression and clinicopathological features at operation. However, the survival rates of patients with E-cadherin-negative tumors were significantly lower than those of patients with E-cadherin-weak and E-cadherin-positive tumors (P<0.01). Disease recurrence had occurred in 49 (48.0%), with hematogenous recurrence in 29 (28.4%), of the 102 patients at the time of analysis. Metastasis occurred in liver in 14 patients, lung in 13, bone in 6, and brain in 2. Comparisons of hematogenous recurrences and clinicopathological features by multivariate regression analyses revealed significant associations between hematogenous recurrences; particularly in liver and lung metastasis and negative E-cadherin expression. With regard to the associations between the organ with the recurrence and the number of positive nodes; hematogenous recurrence, equal to or higher than lymphatic recurrence, was more likely to have occurred in patients with high numbers of positive nodes. Interestingly, with regard to the sites of positive nodes, liver metastasis was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis in the mid-thoracic as opposed to the abdominal region. Further, lung metastasis was most likely to occur in patients with cervical lymph node metastasis.Conclusions: Esophageal carcinoma with negative E-cadherin expression tended to be associated with hematogenous recurrence, particularly with liver and lung metastasis. Hematogenous recurrences were significantly associated with high numbers and the site of positive nodes, as well as with lymphatic recurrence. Read at the Fifty-fifth Annual Meeting of The Japanese Association for Thoracic Surgery, Symposium, Fukuoka, October 9–11, 2002.     

Retrospective study of patients with pathologic N1-stage II non-small cell lung cancer

The population of patients with N1-stage II disease is small among non-small cell lung cancer patients and there have been relatively few studies regarding prognostic factors for the disease. We retrospectively evaluated the clinicopathological features of the disease to identify prognostic factors. The clinical records of 85 patients with N1-stage II non-small cell lung cancer who underwent lobectomy or pneumonectomy with systematic lymph node dissection or sampling were retrospectively reviewed. The study population comprised 64 men and 21 women, among whom 49 had adenocarcinoma, six had squamous cell carcinoma and two had large cell carcinoma. The prognosis was significantly better for p0 vs. p2-3 disease (P=0.029), pneumonectomy vs. lobectomy (P=0.027) and direct extension vs. metastasis to N1 lymph nodes (P=0.015). On the other hand, there was no significant difference in survival regarding the number or level of the involved lymph node stations. A multivariate analysis for prognostic factors revealed that status of lymph node involvement as well as gender and pleural factor was a significant independent prognostic factor (P=0.026). Our results have revealed that direct extension to N1 lymph nodes is an independent favorable prognostic factor as opposed to metastasis for surgically-treated patients with N1-stage II disease.     

The prognostic significance of p53, Ki-67, epithelial cadherin and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in penile squamous cell carcinoma treated with surgery

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the prognostic significance of p53, Ki-67, epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 in primary penile cancer, as the presence of lymph node metastasis and long-term survival are hard to define in penile squamous cell carcinoma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Paraffin-embedded primary tumour samples were obtained from 73 Chinese patients who had penile amputation and regional lymphadenectomy. The expression of molecular markers was determined by immunohistochemistry. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with lymph node metastasis, and a Cox proportional-hazards model was used to measure cancer-specific survival (CSS). RESULTS: Thirty (41%) patients presented with nodal disease and the 3-year CSS rate for all patients was 72%. Lymph node metastasis was significantly correlated with tumour stage, histological grade, lymphatic and vascular embolization, and the expression of p53, Ki-67 and E-cadherin. By multivariate analysis, tumour embolization and the expression of p53 were independent predictors of metastasis. Survival analysis showed that the expression of p53 was an independent prognostic factor for CSS. In stage T1 tumours, high expression of p53 was significantly associated with metastasis and poor survival. CONCLUSION: Lymphatic and vascular embolization, and p53 immunoreactivity, are helpful in establishing the probability of lymph node metastasis. The expression of p53 is an independent predictor of CSS in Chinese patients with penile cancer. In stage T1 tumours, p53 staining is an important variable determining the prognosis and treatment outcome.     

DNA content in correlation with postsurgical stage in non-small cell lung cancer.

The relationship between DNA content, TNM stage, tumor size, grade, histology, and disease-free survival was assessed in a retrospective study of patients with non-small cell lung cancer who had undergone resection and complete mediastinal lymph node dissection. Flow cytometric analysis was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue of 90 consecutive patients. The patients were analyzed both as a group and by individual stage. Median follow-up was 11 months (range, 1 to 35 months). Aneuploid tumors were not significantly different from diploid tumors with regard to pathologic TNM stage (p = 0.34), size (p = 0.5), grade (p = 0.5), or histology (p = 0.34). Disease-free survival of patients with aneuploid tumors was not significantly different than that of patients whose tumors had normal DNA content (p = 0.69). DNA content did not correlate with established prognostic factors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who underwent resection and complete mediastinal lymph node dissection.     

中下段直肠癌E-钙黏附素表达与淋巴结微转移的关系研究

目的:分析中下段直肠癌E-钙黏附素(E-cadherin)表达与淋巴结微转移的关系。方法:应用CK-20免疫组化技术,对56例中下段直肠癌中661枚淋巴结微转移状况进行检测,同时观察肿瘤组织中E-钙黏附素的表达情况。结果:HE染色检测出29例中的190枚淋巴结呈转移,其CK-20免疫组化检测均呈阳性,后者在该29例中另检出12例55枚淋巴结呈阳性;在27例HE染色未检出淋巴结转移者中,有8例12枚淋巴结免疫组化检测呈阳性。20例(36%)67枚(10%)淋巴结检出微转移。中下段直肠癌E-钙黏附素表达阴性率为44.6%(25/56)。中下段直肠癌E-钙黏附素表达阴性与浸润深度(P=0.028)、分化程度(P=0.012)和淋巴结转移(P=0.007)密切相关。20例检测出淋巴结微转移的癌组织中14例(70%)E-钙黏附素表达阴性,而36例未检测出淋巴结微转移的癌组织中仅有11例(30.6%)E-钙黏附素表达阴性;二者差异有统计学意义(P=0.004)。结论:中下段直肠癌E-钙黏附素表达下调参与了淋巴结微转移的发生。     

Decreased E-cadherin but not beta-catenin expression is associated with vascular invasion and decreased survival in head and neck squamous carcinomas.

OBJECTIVE: We wished to correlate the expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in squamous carcinomas of the head and neck to outcome and other clinicopathologic variables. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This retrospective study was carried out in a tertiary care setting. The tumors of 45 patients who had their head and neck squamous carcinoma primarily treated by resection were evaluated immunohistochemically with antibodies to E-cadherin and beta-catenin. Thirty-two tumors arose in the oral cavity, 9 tumors originated in the larynx, and 4 tumors began in the hypopharynx. Patient outcome and the clinicopathologic variables of tumor site, tumor stage, cervical lymph node status, tumor differentiation, perineural invasion, and vascular invasion were correlated to immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin. RESULTS: Low expression of E-cadherin in the tumors was significantly associated with decreased overall survival (P = 0.004), disease-free survival (P = 0.007), and vascular invasion (P = 0.02) but not with other clinicopathologic variables. beta-catenin expression was not significantly associated with any of the studied clinicopathologic variables. CONCLUSION: Decreased E-cadherin but not beta-catenin expression is associated with decreased survival in patients with head and neck squamous carcinomas. SIGNIFICANCE: Detection of loss of E-cadherin expression may help predict which patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma will experience a worse outcome compared to patients whose tumors have not lost this tumor suppressor. EBM rating: C-4.     

Maspin expression in stage I and II oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: A relatively high failure rate in the therapy of patients with early oral tongue squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) is evidenced by untreated clinically negative neck lymph node metastasis. It is important to predict the malignant potential of oral tongue SCC in stage I and II patients, because the development of lymph node metastasis directly affects the prognosis of the patients. METHODS: We evaluated maspin expression immunohistochemically in patients with stage I and II oral tongue SCCs and determined whether the expression level may be a useful factor in predicting metastatic potential and prognosis of these SCCs. RESULTS: Clinical follow-up data showed a longer disease-free interval and overall survival periods for tumors immunohistochemically positive for maspin than for tumors negative for maspin, with the difference in disease-free interval being statistically significant (p =.01). The absence of maspin expression was found more frequently in cases of subsequent cervical lymph node metastasis than in cases without metastasis (p =.03). CONCLUSIONS: Decreased maspin expression may be a significant factor associated with the metastatic potential of stage I and II oral tongue SCCs.     

Clinical significance of nm23 expression in resected pathologic-stage I, non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: Clinical significance of the status of nm23 gene, originally identified as an antimetastatic gene, in non-small cell lung cancer remains unestablished, whereas many clinical studies have demonstrated that reduced nm23 expression is correlated with tumor progression and poor prognosis in a variety of malignant tumors such as breast carcinoma. METHODS: nm23 expression was examined immunohistochemically in a total of 117 patients with completely resected pathologic stage I non-small cell lung cancer. RESULTS: nm23 expression was positive in 73 (62.4%) patients, and there was no correlation between nm23 expression and age, sex, performance status, pathologic T factor, histologic type, or degree of cancer cell differentiation. The 5-year survival rates of nm23-positive and nm23-negative patients were 79.7% and 57.8%, respectively, demonstrating a significantly poorer prognosis in nm23-negative patients (p = 0.013), which was confirmed by a multivariate analysis. nm23 was not correlated with the incidence of apoptosis, proliferative activity, or p53 status. CONCLUSIONS: nm23 expression was a significant factor for predicting a favorable prognosis, suggesting antimetastatic potential of the nm23 gene in non-small cell lung cancer.     

The Prognosis of Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Found to Have Carcinomatous Pleuritis at Thoracotomy

Non-small cell lung cancer with carcinoma-tous pleuritis is considered to be a contraindication of surgical resection. The objective of this study was to clarify the prognosis of patients with non-small cell lung cancer in whom carcinomatous pleuritis was found at thoracotomy. A questionnaire survey on the survival of patients with carcinomatous pleuritis found at thoracotomy between January 1985 and December 1994 was conducted by the Japan Clinical Oncology Group. According to the data collected from 21 hospitals, 8 813 patients with non-small cell lung cancer underwent thoracotomy, 284 (3.2%) of whom were found to have carcinomatous pleuritis. Information on survival was available for 227 of these patients, 34 (15%) of whom underwent thoracotomy alone without resection, whereas 193 (85%) underwent surgical resection. Of the 193 resected patients, 155 had no macroscopical residual tumor apart from the carcinomatous pleuritis. The 5-year survival rate was 14%. According to a univariate analysis, female sex, the presence of adenocarcinoma, a tumor size of less than 3.0 cm, no clinical lymph node metastasis, and no macroscopical residual tumor had a significantly favorable impact on survival. A multivariate analysis revealed that the extent of clinical lymph node metastasis (P = 0.006), histology (P = 0.028), and the absence or presence of a macroscopic residual tumor after the operation (P = 0.045) were predominant prognostic factors. The 5-year survival rate of 83 patients with three positive variables was 24%. The prognosis of patients with adenocarcinoma found to have carcinomatous pleuritis at thoracotomy was not necessarily unfavorable if there was no clinically detected lymph node metastasis and no residual tumor apart from the carcinomatous pleuritis. Received: December 17, 1999 / Accepted: July 25, 2000     

Molecular assessment of lymph nodes in patients with resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer: preliminary results of a prospective study

OBJECTIVES: Routine histologic examination of resected lymph nodes in patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer may underestimate the incidence of advanced disease. The presence of occult lymph node metastases may predict a higher risk of recurrence after intended curative resection. The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of TP53 and K-ras mutations in histologically determined negative lymph nodes from patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer who underwent intended curative surgical resection. METHODS: Between July 1995 and March 1998, clinical data and tissue samples of primary tumors and lymph nodes were collected in a prospective fashion from 102 patients undergoing resection for non-small cell lung cancer (stage I, n = 55; stage II, n = 32; stage IIIA, n = 15). TP53 and K-ras mutations were detected by direct sequencing. If molecular alterations were found in the primary tumor, the corresponding lymph nodes were examined for these same TP53 (by oligonucleotide hybridization) and K-ras (by allele-specific ligation) mutations. RESULTS: TP53 mutations were found in 47 of 94 primary tumors (50%), and K-ras mutations were present in 26 of 55 adenocarcinomas (47%). A total of 134 lymph nodes from 32 patients with stage I disease were analyzed. In 9 cases (28%) the same TP53 or K-ras mutations were found in tumor and lymph node specimens, suggesting occult metastasis. On the basis of nodal location, 7 patients had their disease upstaged by a single stage and 2 patients by two stages. All 28 patients with stage II or III disease had pathologically determined positive nodes that were confirmed as positive by molecular analysis. Standard histopathologic assessment of regional lymph nodes failed to detect metastases at levels below 0.9% tumor-specific mutant TP53 clones per node. No statistically significant difference in disease-specific or overall survival was observed between patients with stage I disease with and without molecular lymph node metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Occult lymph node metastases are present in a significant percentage of patients with stage I non-small cell lung cancer. These data suggest that molecular analysis allows a more accurate assessment of staging. However, larger studies are needed to determine the clinical role of molecular staging.     

肿瘤转移抑制蛋白1和E-钙黏蛋白在结直肠癌中的表达及相关性分析

目的探讨结直肠癌中肿瘤转移抑制蛋白1（MTSS1）和E-钙黏蛋白（E-cadherin）表达的差异性及其临床意义。 方法回顾性分析2004年10月至2017年10月中山大学附属第五医院223例结直肠癌病例资料,采用免疫组织化学技术检测MTSS1和E-cadherin在结直肠癌组织中的蛋白表达情况,比较其表达差异性与其临床病理特征的相关性。 结果MTSS1、E-cadherin蛋白在癌组织的阳性表达率明显低于正常肠组织和癌旁组织（P<0.001）,其蛋白表达与肿瘤分化程度、局部浸润深度、侵犯脉管、临床分期、淋巴结转移和肝转移方面显著相关（均P<0.05）。癌组织中MTSS1和E-cadherin的蛋白表达呈正相关关系（r=0.417,P<0.001）。MTSS1、E-cadherin单阴性组比阳性组预后差（χ2=8.764、4.771,P=0.003、0.029）,MTSS1和E-cadherin双阴性表达的患者预后更差（χ2=13.940,P=0.005）。 结论MTSS1和E-cadherin在结直肠癌中的表达呈正相关,且在低分化程度、深浸润、晚期、局部或肝转移病例中均为低表达,在结直肠癌侵袭转移中可能起协同作用,联合检测对预测肝转移和判断预后有一定临床价值。     

热休克蛋白70和27在非小细胞肺癌中的表达和临床意义

目的研究热休克蛋白(heatshockprotein,HSP)70和27在非小细胞肺癌(nonsmallcelllungcancer,NSCLC)组织中的表达,探讨HSP70和HSP27与NSCLC细胞的组织学类型、分化和转移之间的关系。方法采用免疫组化SP法检测60例NSCLC标本中HSP70和HSP27的表达情况。结果NSCLC中HSP70和HSP27的表达与肿瘤细胞组织学类型无关。HSP70和HSP27的表达正相关。HSP70的表达与肿瘤细胞分化程度和淋巴结转移明显相关,HSP27的表达则无关。结论HSP70在NSCLC中的高表达与肿瘤细胞的分化和转移明显正相关,提示HSP70可以作为NSCLC辅助诊断和估计预后的指标。而HSP27尽管在多种恶性肿瘤中发挥促进细胞恶变的作用,但在NSCLC中的作用需要进一步研究。     

Is T2 non-small cell lung cancer located in left lower lobe appropriate to upstage?

In the TNM classification, patients with T2 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have heterogeneous factors. The efficacy of surgery for T2 disease remains unsatisfactory. We retrospectively reviewed 268 T2 patients with non-small cell lung cancer for whom a curative approach had been attempted between January 1994 through December 2003. All patients were subjected to lobectomy, including dissection of hilar and mediastinal lymph nodes contained in pathologically proven adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma. The overall survival rates at 5 and 7 years were 58.4% and 48.5%, respectively. Five-year survival of patients with a tumor in the left lower lobe (LLL) was 38.8%; other lobe, 61.6%. Primary tumor distribution in the LLL was significantly associated with a poor survival in T2 NSCLC. In univariate analysis, tumors size less than 4 cm, tumor in the left lower lobe, histological differentiation, lymph node involvement were significantly associated with prognosis. Multivariate analysis showed that tumor in the left lower lobe (P=0.0159), histological differentiation (P=0.0071), and lymph node involvement (P=0.0266) were found to be independent prognostic factors in cases of T2 disease. In cases where the primary tumor without well differentiation is in the LLL, surgery for T2 NSCLC should be considered carefully.     

Detection of mediastinal lymph node metastasis from lung cancer with positron emission tomography (PET) using 11C-methionine]

Twenty-five patients with primary non-small cell lung cancer underwent the positron emission tomography (PET) using 11C-methionine to detect the mediastinal lymph node metastasis. We introduced the positron angiography to recognize precisely the anatomical orientation of the mediastinal lymph nodes. The 11C-uptake of the lymph node was expressed with distribution absorption ratio (DAR). A total 107 lymph nodes were examined. The average DAR in metastatic lymph nodes (n = 28) was 3.89 while that of non-metastatic nodes (n = 79) was 2.38 indicating a significant difference (p < 0.001). The most adequate threshold for detection of metastasis was 3.3 with sensitivity of 100%, and specificity of 87.3% and overall accuracy of 89.7%. Metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma was diagnosed more accurately than that of adenocarcinoma. Thus, PET using 11C-methionine may offer a new method to detect the mediastinal lymph node metastasis from lung cancer.