MCAM expression is associated with poor prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer

Background

MCAM has been recently identified as a biomarker for epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and is potentially involved in metastasis of cancer. The current study aimed at investigating the expression of MCAM in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinico-pathological significance.

Methods

A follow-up analysis was performed on 118 patients with NSCLC resected by lobectomy or pneumectomy with systematic lymph node dissection. All patients were followed for 6–60 months. Immunostaining of tissue sections from primary tumors and their lymph node metastasis was performed and evaluated using monoclonal antibody against MCAM, E-cadherin, and vimentin. Correlations were investigated between MCAM immunostaining in primary tumors and E-cadherin, vimentin immunostaining, lymph node metastasis, and survival.

Results

MCAM protein expression was found in 46.61 % of squamous cell carcinomas and 37.47 % of adenocarcinomas; MCAM expression positively correlated with vimentin, but inversely with E-cadherin (both P values <0.05). There were significant correlations between the MCAM immunostaining score in primary tumors and in their lymph node metastasis (P = 0.03). According to the Kaplan–Meier survival estimate, the level of MCAM expression in primary tumors was a statistically significant prognostic factor (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

MCAM expression in surgically treated NSCLC is clearly associated with lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis.