Relationship of the prognosis of lung cancer with brain metastases and the expressions of p53,nm23 and VEGF / 中国癌症杂志

ABSTRACT

Background and purpose:Brain is one of the most common sites for distant metastasis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer,and the prognosis of patients with brain metastasis is usually dismal.The purpose of this retrospective study is to document the relationship between the prognosis of lung cancer patients with brain metastasis and the expressions of p53,nm23 and VEGF in resected lung cancer tissues.Methods:Ninety-two patients who were definitively treated with surgery for non-small cell lung cancer but lately developed brain metastasis between 1997 and 2005 were identified in our institution.Their clinical data were retrieved and retrospectively reviewed.All pathological specimens of their resected lung cancer were examined for the expressions of p53,nm23 and VEGF by immunohistochemical staining.The association between the treatment outcome and the expression of the above mentioned biomarkers were analyzed.Results:The median survival time(MST) of patients with p53(+) versus p53(-) was 11.0 versus 11.9 month,respectively.The 1,2,and 3-year overall survival rates were 45.71%,22.86%,and 18.29% respectively for p53(+) patients,and 49.55%,16.12%,and 8.89% respectively for p53(-) patients(P=0.5179);The MST of patients with nm23(+) versus nm23(-) was 13.0 versus 10.1 month,respectively.The 1,2,and 3-year overall survival rates were 54.20%,21.51%,and 16.45% respectively for nm23(+) patients,and 32.0%,12.0%,and 4.0% respectively for nm23(-) patients(P=0.1075);The MST of patients with VEGF(+) versus VEGF(-) was 10.5 versus 12.2 months,respectively.The 1,2,and 3 year overall survival rates were 42.20%,0,and 0 respectively for VEGF(+) patients,and 50.0%,25.41%,and 16.57% respectively for VEGF(-) patients(P=0.0231).Conclusions:VEGF was a significant adverse prognostic factor for patients with non-small cell lung cancer who developed brain metastasis.Lung cancer patients whose tumor tissue demonstrated positive VEGF expression had reduced overall survival rates at 1,2,and 3 years after surgery.The expression of p53 and nm23 are not significantly associated to the prognosis of this group of patients.