The expression of β-catenin in non-small-cell lung cancer: A clinicopathological study

Abstract

Aims-To investigate the expression of β-catenin in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and its clinical significance. Methods-101 patients were surgically treated for NSCLC by lobectomy or pneumectomy with systematic lymph node dissection. Follow up was available in all patients, ranging from 24 to 110 months. Immunostaining of tissue sections from primary tumours and (when present) their lymph node metastases was performed and evaluated using a monoclonal antibody against β-catenin. Correlations were investigated between β-catenin immunostaining in primary tumours and E-cadherin immunostaining (data available from a previous study), lymph node stage, and survival. Results-There were significant correlations between scores for β- catenin immunostaining and E-cadherin immunostaining in primary turnouts (p = 0.007), and between the β-catenin immunostaining score in primary tumours and in their lymph node metastases (p = 0.006). An inverse correlation was found between the β-catenin immunostaining score in primary tumours and lymph node stage NO, N1, or N2 (p = 0.03). According to the Kaplan-Meier survival estimate, the level of β-catenin expression in primary tumours was a statistically significant prognostic factor (p = 0.01). Conclusions- Reduced β-catenin expression in surgically treated NSCLC is clearly associated with lymph node metastasis and an unfavourable prognosis. The existence of a functional relation between E-cadherin and β-catenin is supported by the results of this clinicopathological study.