Korean J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg.  2014 Jun;47(3):262-268.

Prognostic Significance of Claudin 4 in Completely Resected Adenocarcinoma of the Lung

• Chae MC
• Park CK
• Keum DY
• Hwang I
• Kwon KY
• Jang BC

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The development of diagnostic techniques and an awareness of health examinations can bring about an early diagnosis of lung cancer. However, appropriate postoperative management and adjuvant chemotherapy remain under debate in postoperative therapeutic strategy. The present study was conducted to assess the clinicopathologic factors that influence recurrence and prognosis after complete resection of lung cancer.
METHODS
The present study analyzed 62 patients with lung cancer who underwent complete resection of diagnosed adenocarcinoma between 1994 and 2007. In addition to conventional factors, which include staging factor and histological evaluation, the present study also performed univariate and multivariate analyses to consider claudin, a cell adhesion molecule, as a prognostic factor by immunohistochemical staining.
RESULTS
There was no correlation between conventional factors, including lymphatic and vascular invasion, and recurrence. However, there was a significant correlation between high expression of claudin 4 and cancer recurrence. In particular, there was a correlation between high expressions of claudin 1, 4, and 5 and a reduction of disease-free survival.
CONCLUSION
Increased expressions of claudin 4 were negative prognostic factors in adenocarcinoma of the lung and thus could be used to identify high-risk patients for adjuvant chemotherapy, even if they had early-stage lung cancer. The present findings collectively suggest that consideration of claudin as a prognostic factor in the active postoperative treatment in patients at high risk will lead to better therapeutic outcomes with fewer side effects.

Keyword

Lung neoplasms; Adenocarcinoma; Discard; Lung pathology; Claudin

MeSH Terms

Adenocarcinoma*
Cell Adhesion
Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
Claudin-1
Claudin-4*
Disease-Free Survival
Early Diagnosis
Humans
Lung Neoplasms
Lung*
Multivariate Analysis
Prognosis
Recurrence
Claudin-1
Claudin-4