Relationship between the expression of caspase-3 and the clinical outcome of patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

This study examined whether a relationship exists between the expression of caspase-3 in 135 non-small cell lung carcinomas and clinical outcome. Immunohistochemistry and Western blot analyses were used to analyze the expression of caspase-3 in solid tumors and cell lines. A significant correlation was observed between the expression of caspase-3, survival and metastasis. Caspase-3 expression correlated with a lower incidence of lymph node involvement (p = 0.0007). The median survival was longer for patients with caspase-3 positive carcinomas than for those with caspase-3-negative tumors (41 vs 87 weeks, p = 0.038).