RELATION BETWEEN RECURRENCE AND EXPRESSION OF PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN, SIALYL LEWIS(X), AND SIALYL LEWIS(A) IN LUNG-CANCER

Blood vessel invasion, recurrence rate, and time to recurrence were ex amined in relation to the immunohistochemical expression of proliferat ing cell nuclear antigen, sialyl Lewis(X), and sialyl Lewis(a) in 303 patients with lung cancer who had a curative resection from 1980 to 19 91. Of these, 150 had adenocarcinoma, 117 had squamous, 21 had large-c ell, and 15 had small-cell carcinoma. Significant differences were det ected in the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen and sial yl Lewis(X) between adenocarcinomas and the other histologic types; th us the subjects were divided into 150 with adenocarcinoma and 153 with non-adenocarcinoma. In those; with adenocarcinoma, the frequency of b lood vessel invasion was significantly higher in tumors with strong si alyl Lewis(X) expression, and the disease-free survival of the patient s with blood vessel invasion was significantly worse when their tumors strongly expressed both sialyl Lewis(X) and proliferating cell nuclea r antigen. In those with non-adenocarcinoma, on the other hand, tumors with strong expression of sialyl Lewis(a) and proliferating cell nucl ear antigen showed significantly higher frequencies of blood vessel in vasion and worse disease-free survival. In patients with recurrent tum ors, those with strong proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression s howed a significantly shorter time to recurrence. We conclude that sia lyl Lewis(X) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in aden ocarcinoma and sialyl Lewis(a) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in non-adenocarcinoma may be an important determinant of re currence.