PROGNOSTIC-SIGNIFICANCE OF PROLIFERATING CELL NUCLEAR ANTIGEN (PCNA) EXPRESSION IN NONSMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER

Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections of resected tumors f rom 90 patients were immunohistochemically studied to assess the progn ostic value of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression in non-small cell lung cancer. The individual tumors were classified int o groups of high, moderate or low proliferative grade, and 38 (42.2%) patients had a high grade of proliferation. No statistically significa nt correlations were observed between PCNA grade and TNM status, patho logical stage, resectability, histological type, degree of histologica l differentiation. Only vascular invasion significantly correlated wit h proliferative grade (p < 0.05). Survival analysis showed that patien ts with low proliferative grade tumors survived significantly longer ( a 5-year survival rate of 83.3%) than those with high proliferative gr ade tumors (39.4%, p < 0.005). Cox's multivariate analysis revealed th at PCNA grade was a significant prognostic determinant of survival. Th ese results suggest that PCNA expression provides an independent progn ostic variable for patients with non-small cell lung cancer and that i t may be useful to consider this factor in treatment planning.