ICAM-1 expression in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer treated with radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To investigate the possible clinical relevance of ICAM-1 molecule in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with radiotherapy. METHODS: The expression of ICAM-1 was examined immunohistochemically on tissue specimens of 62 patients with pathologically confirmed NCSLC. The median age at diagnosis was 62 years (range 49-84) with a male predominance (87.8%). All patients had stage III disease at presentation. The median follow up was 15.5 months (range 7-44). Obtained expression data were weighted against clinical and pathological parameters. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients (60%) had no ICAM-1 staining, 16 patients (26%) had weak staining, while 6 patients (10%) expressed moderate staining and only 3 patients (5%) showed strong ICAM-1 staining. Moderate and high expressions were mostly observed in adenocarcinomas and undifferentiated carcinomas (n=8), that are considered more aggressive than squamous cell carcinoma (n=1). The median overall survival (OS) was 15 months (range 11-20). There seemed to exist an inverse association between ICAM-1 expression and OS, since there was a trend in median survival in favor of no ICAM-1 expression (p=0.083). Moreover, in patients with no ICAM-1 expression, there was observed a statistically significant difference in OS, favoring the squamous cell subtype (p=0.006). Nevertheless, ICAM-1 expression did not confer any statistical significance regarding smoking status (p=0.128), metastatic potential (p=0.574) as well as with the site of metastasis (p=0.964). CONCLUSION: Our findings may serve as a helping resource for further investigations of ICAM-1 as a molecular marker that could characterize treatment response and survival of tumor subpopulations.

E-Cadherin and Syndecan-1 Expression in Patients With Advanced Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With Chemoradiotherapy.

BACKGROUND/AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate whether E-cadherin and syndecan-1 are molecular markers of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The expression of E-cadherin and syndecan-1 (SDC1) was examined immunohistochemically on tissue specimens of 64 patients, with stage III disease at presentation. The obtained expression data were correlated with clinical parameters. RESULTS: Negative expression of SDC1 was correlated with squamous histology (p=0.002). E-cadherin positive expression was significantly associated with increased 2-year overall survival (OS) rate (p=0.032). In the multivariate Cox analysis, performance status 0-1 was an independent predictor of OS (p=0.001) and disease-free survival (DFS) (p=0.001). E-cadherin expression was an independent predictor of OS (p=0.007) and DFS (p=0.029). CONCLUSION: E-cadherin might be a prognostic factor for OS and DFS in advanced stage NSCLC patients. Further investigations are needed for the establishment of E-cadherin and syndecan-1 as molecular markers, affecting treatment response and survival.

Double vagina and cervix communicating bilaterally with a single uterine cavity: report of a case with an unusual congenital uterine malformation.

BACKGROUND: The existence of a longitudinal vaginal septum with double cervix communicating bilaterally with a nonseptate uterine body and normal adnexa is an unusual müllerian anomaly. CASE: A 43-year-old woman presented with menorrhagia and duplication of the cervix and vagina. Afibromatous uterus was suggested by clinical examination and confirmed by ultrasonography. The patient underwent total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingooophorectomy. The surgical specimen revealed a fibromatous uterus with double cervix communicating bilaterally with a nonseptate uterine body; both adnexa were normal. CONCLUSION: This rare müllerian anomaly is inconsistent with the classical embryologic theory of caudal to cranial müllerian development but supports the alternative embryologic hypothesis suggested by Müller et al, according to which fusion and absorption begin at the isthmus and proceed simultaneously in both the cranial and caudal directions.