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Published on: May 29, 2017
P63 expression in lung carcinoma: a tissue microarray study of 408 cases
1Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre, Department of Pathology and Prostate Research Centre, Vancouver General Hospital, the British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology : AIMM
|November 24, 2004
Summary
p63 protein is highly expressed in lung squamous cell carcinoma and also found in other lung tumor types. Its expression is significant in neuroendocrine tumors, indicating a broader role in lung cancer oncogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Cancer Research
Background:
- p63, a p53 family member, is crucial for epithelial development.
- p63 expression is elevated in squamous cell carcinomas of the lung, head and neck, and cervix.
- Its role in diverse lung tumor types requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the expression patterns of p63 across various histologic types of primary lung tumors.
- To assess the prognostic significance of p63 expression in different lung cancer subtypes.
- To explore the correlation between p63 and p53 expression in lung tumors.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 408 primary lung tumors using tissue microarrays.
- Immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibody 4A4 for p63 detection.
- Immunohistochemistry with monoclonal antibody DO-7 for p53 detection.
- Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.
Main Results:
- p63 was highly expressed in 96.9% of squamous cell carcinomas.
- p63 expression was observed in 30% of adenocarcinomas and 37% of large cell carcinomas.
- p63 expression increased with tumor grade in neuroendocrine tumors, with 76.9% of small cell carcinomas being positive.
- p63 expression had prognostic significance in neuroendocrine tumors (P < 0.0001).
- Correlation between p63 and p53 was found in neuroendocrine tumors (P < 0.0001) but not in non-small cell lung cancer (P = 0.18).
Conclusions:
- p63 is consistently expressed in lung squamous cell carcinoma and also present in subsets of adenocarcinomas and large cell carcinomas.
- Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors, especially higher-grade ones like small cell carcinoma, frequently express p63.
- These findings suggest p63's involvement in the oncogenesis of a wider range of lung tumors than previously recognized.
