IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL EVALUATION OF E-CADHERIN AND EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR IN NONSMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER

Enhanced expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor and loss o f expression of the cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin have each b een implicated in the development and progression of a variety of huma n malignancies. There is some evidence for a correlation between the e xpression of these two genes and the possible influence of the E-cadhe rin gene product on the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor . We evaluated 33 matched primary and metastatic non-small cell lung c ancer specimens using immunohistochemical staining. There was a statis tically significant correlation between staining intensity for epiderm al growth factor receptor and E-cadherin in the primary tumors (P = 0. 017, by Spearman correlation test). No difference was noted between pr imary and metastatic disease for either gene product. Studies that inc lude clinical data are needed to clarify the significance of these fin dings and to evaluate whether these markers will help predict prognosi s in tumors.