CYCLIN-A IS ASSOCIATED WITH AN UNFAVORABLE OUTCOME IN PATIENTS WITH NON-SMALL-CELL LUNG CARCINOMAS

Specimens of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded non-small-cell lung car cinomas (NSCLCs; n = 187) were analysed immunohistochemically for expr ession of cyclin A. The analysis was intended to determine whether cyc lin A has additional prognostic value for predicting patients' surviva l and drug response. Of the 187 NSCLCs, 141 cases (75%) showed express ion of cyclin A. Patients with cyclin A-positive carcinomas had signif icantly shorter median survival times than patients with cyclin A-nega tive carcinomas (79% vs 129 weeks, P = 0.045). Similar results were ob tained with more homogenous groups of patients: patients with only T3 tumours, patients with epidemoid carcinomas and patients with lymph no de involvement. The clinical parameters (age, stage, histology, extent of tumour size, lymph node involvelement) had no influence on express ion of cyclin A. A direct correlation between cyclin A and the proport ion of S-phase cells (P = 0.08) and an inverse relationship between cy clin A and the proportion of G(c)/G(i)-phase (P = 0.04) were found. Fu rthermore, a significant correlation between the expression of cyclin A and the response of NSCLC to doxonrubicin in vitro was detected (P = 0.026).