The Predictive Value of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Nm23 for the Diagnosis of Occult Metastasis in Non‐small Cell Lung Cancer

• Published in: Cancer science Vol. 92; no. 3; pp. 361 - 366
• Main Authors: Ohta, Yasuhiko, Nozaki, Zensei, Nozawa, Hiroshi, Kamesui, Tadashi, Tsunezuka, Yoshio, Oda, Makoto, Watanabe, Go
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2001; Japanese Cancer Association; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma - pathology; Aged; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Bone marrow; Bone Marrow - pathology; Bone surgery; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous - pathology; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell - pathology; Cytokeratin; Endothelial Growth Factors - analysis; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Keratins - analysis; Lung cancer; lung carcinoma; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Lymph nodes; Lymph Nodes - pathology; Lymphatic Metastasis; Lymphokines - analysis; Male; Medical sciences; Metastases; Micrometastasis; Middle Aged; Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins - analysis; Neoplasm Metastasis; Neoplasm Staging; nm23; Nm23 gene; NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase; Pneumology; Predictive Value of Tests; Recurrence; Sensitivity and Specificity; Transcription Factors - analysis; Tumors; Tumors of the respiratory system and mediastinum; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; VEGF; Human; Lung disease; Prognosis; Angiogenic factor; Respiratory disease; Cytokine; Malignant tumor; Metastasis; Bronchopulmonary; Vascular endothelium growth factor; Metastasis suppressor gene; Micrometastasis; Bronchus disease; Genetics; Diagnosis; Growth factor; Non small cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 0910-5050; 1347-9032; 1349-7006; 1876-4673
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1349-7006.2001.tb01103.x

We assessed the association of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and nml23 expression with occult micrometastasis in lung cancer. As destination sites for micrometastasis, we scrutinized lymph node (LN) and bone marrow (BM) specimens. For LN, 122 stage I patients who had received curative operations were studied. As regards BM, 203 patients in stage I‐IV who underwent operations were registered. Immunohistochemical anti‐cytokeratin staining was used to detect microdissemination of cancer cells. The VEGF and the nm23 expression at the primary sites were immunohistochemically studied in 285 cases in total. The percentages of the patients with micro‐dissemination were 28.7% for LN and 42.4% for BM. The outcome for the patients with LN or BM microdissemination was significantly worse than that for patients without it. The increased VEGF and the decreased nm23 expression within primary tumors were significantly associated with LN and BM microdissemination. The results indicate possible value of using these biological markers to predict the risk of systemic micrometastasis in non‐small cell lung cancer.