Blood Vessel Invasion and Expression of Sialyl Lewisx and Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen in Stage I Non-small Cell Lung Cancer. Relation to Postoperative Recurrence

Background: Recurrence in Stage I non-small cell lung cancer was examined with respect to vascular invasion and the immunohistochemical expression of sialyl-dimeric Lewisx (SLX) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).

Methods: One hundred twenty-eight patients with Stage I non-small cell lung cancer who had a curative resection were the subjects of this study. Using tumor tissues fixed in formaldehyde solution, blood vessel invasion (BVI) and lymphatic invasion stained with Victoria blue-hematoxylin and eosin and the immunohistochemical expression of SLX and PCNA were retrospectively studied with respect to postoperative recurrence.

Results: By univariate analysis, BVI and SLX and PCNA expression were significantly important factors of disease-free survival (P < 0.01). The disease-free survival of the patients with both BVI and SLX expression was significantly shorter than that of the patients with BVI but negative SLX expression (P < 0.02). In 35 patients with recurrence, tumors with PCNA expression showed a significantly shorter time to recurrence compared with tumors without PCNA expression (P < 0.01).

Conclusions: BVI and SLX expression may be important determinants of recurrence. PCNA may be a determinant of time to recurrence.