非小细胞肺癌患者淋巴结分子分期的临床病理研究

目的探讨逆转录聚合酶链反应（RT-PCR）检测非小细胞肺癌淋巴结微转移的可行性。方法术中将每枚淋巴结平均分成两半,一半淋巴结进行HE染色病理检查;另一半淋巴结,按区域混合,用于RT-PCR。如果一枚淋巴结HE染色证实有显性转移,该患者同一区域的其他淋巴结不再接受RT-PCR。结果（1）25例肺癌患者中共195枚淋巴结接受了HE染色检查,9例共30枚淋巴结中发现有显性转移,无一枚淋巴结检出微转移。（2）39组HE染色阴性的区域淋巴结混合组织中,11组RT-PCR呈阳性。（3）16例常规病理PN现了0期患者中,6例肺门淋巴结出现了微转移;另9例常规病理PN1期患者中,5例出纵隔淋巴结的微转移,差异有统计学意义（x^2=54．063,P=0．0043）。结论（1）HE染色病理能准确地检测出非小细胞肺癌淋巴结中的显性转移灶,而不易发现隐匿性微转移灶。（2）RT-PCR能提高非小细胞肺癌淋巴结微转移的检出率,并可对部分Ⅰ、Ⅱ期患者重新进行分子分期。

Clinicopathological study on nodal molecular staging of non-small-cell lung cancer

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the practicability of detecting the micrometastasis in lymph nodes of no-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by means of reverse transciptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). METHODS: Regional lymph node samples were collected during operation from 25 patients with NSCLC randomly selected. The lymph node sample from each patient was divided into 2 groups: lymph nodes of hilum of lung and of mediastinum. Every lymph node was divided into two parts of the same size. One half part of the lymph node was examined by hematoxylin eosin (H&E) staining. If HE staining discovered metastasis, further examination was not needed. If HE staining failed to discover metastasis, then all the remaining lymph node samples of each patient were mixed together to undergo RT-PCR for cytokeratin 19 (CK(19)), a tissue marker of epithelium and epithelial tumors. RESULTS: (1) 195 lymph nodes from 25 patients with NSCLC were examined by H&E staining. 30 lymph nodes in 9 patients showed gross nodal metastasis and none showed micrometastatic tumor cells. (2) Of the 39 groups of mixed regional lymph node samples which were diagnosed to be devoid of metastases by H&E staining, 11 groups were found to have positive reactions to CK(19) mRNA. (3) Six of the sixteen patients staged as PN(0) had hilum lymph nodal micrometastasis, while 5 of nine patients with stage PN(1) had mediastinal lymph nodal micrometastasis (chi(2) = 54.063, P = 0.0043). CONCLUSION: (1) H&E staining can accurately detect gross nodal metastasis in the lymph nodes of the patients with NSCLC, but is unfit for detecting lymph nodal micrometastasis. (2) RT-PCR can facilitate the detection of occult micrometastatic tumor cells in the lymph nodes of NSCLC, and its assessment of nodal micrometastasis can provide a refinement of molecular stage for partial patients with stage I to II.