Tomita M, Matsuzaki Y, Edagawa M, Shimizu T, Hara M, Onitsuka T
Department of Surgery II, Miyazaki Medical College, Kihara 5200, Kiyotake, Miyazaki 889-1692, Japan.
Eur J Surg Oncol. 2003 Oct;29(8):654-7. doi: 10.1016/s0748-7983(03)00138-0.
The prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer with pathologic mediastinal lymph node involvement (pN2) is poor, we wished to study the expression of p53, bcl-2 by immunohistochemistry in a series of such patients.
Clinicopathologic factors were investigated in relation to prognosis in 60 patients with resected pN2 non-small cell lung cancer.
The 5-year survival rate was 21.7%. Positive staining for p53, and bcl-2 was found in 29/60 and 12/60, respectively. Patients with bcl-2 positive tumor had a more favorable survival than those with bcl-2 negative tumor (P=0.0054). The expression of p53 was not related to patients' survival. Multivariate analysis showed that Bcl-2 expression and single N2 station were independent prognostic factors.
Patients with bcl-2 positive tumors may comprise a favorable prognostic subgroup in pN2 non-small cell lung cancer.