Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 4, 2026
Gene Regulation and Targeted Therapy in Gastric Cancer Peritoneal Metastasis: Radiological Findings from Dual Energy CT and PET/CT
Published on: January 22, 2018
Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor expression in lung cancer
Jane Mattei1, Rosane D Achcar, Carlos H Cano
1From the Departments of Internal Medicine (Dr Mattei) and Pathology (Drs Meurer and Kulczynski), School of Medicine, the Laboratory of Molecular Neuropharmacology, Department of Pharmacology, Institute for Basic Health Sciences (Dr Roesler), and the Cancer Research Laboratory, University Hospital Research Center (CPE-HCPA) (Dr Macedo, Roesler, Brunetto, and Schwartsmann), Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil; the Departments of Urology (Dr Mattei) and Oncology (Mr Cano and Ms Batlle), University of Colorado, Denver; the Pathology Division, Department of Medicine, National Jewish Health, Denver, Colorado (Drs Achcar and Groshong); the National Institutes for Translational Medicine, Porto Alegre, Brazil (Drs Roesler and Schwartsmann); and the Department of Medical Oncology, Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, Belgium (Dr Dal Lago). Dr Mattei is now with Denver Health Hospital, Denver, Colorado.
Context:
Gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPRs) activate mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway primarily through epidermal growth factor receptor activation and are under investigation as a molecular target because they are overexpressed in several solid tumors.
Objective:
To determine GRPR expression in both non-small cell lung carcinoma and small cell lung carcinoma, comparing results with clinical stages and demographic data.
Design:
We analyzed the immunohistochemical expression of GRPR in 200 non-small cell lung carcinoma and 38 small cell lung carcinoma archival cases from 2004 to 2008.
Results:
Non-small cell lung carcinoma cases tended to be higher GRPR expressers at a rate of 62.5% (weak, moderate, and strong expression in 41.5%, 13.5%, and 7.5%, respectively), compared with 52.62% in small cell lung carcinoma cases (weak, moderate, and strong expression in 34.21%, 15.78%, and 2.63%, respectively; P = .30). In non-small cell lung carcinoma there was a trend for higher percentages of strong expression in adenocarcinoma cases (10%; P = .67), and in patients with advanced stages (III and IV; 9.43% and 6.9%; P = .01).
Conclusions:
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate GRPR tissue expression in a large population of patients with lung cancer. Although GRPR expression was similar in small cell and non-small cell carcinoma, the expression was more pronounced in an advanced-stage lung cancer, particularly in adenocarcinoma cases, and may represent a potential target for the development of new treatment approaches in this population.
