Clinical impact of TROP2 in non-small lung cancers and its correlation with abnormal p53 nuclear accumulation

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Cancer Research

Background:

• Tumor-associated calcium signal transducer 2 (TROP2) is a cell-surface glycoprotein implicated in cancer malignancy.
• Targeting TROP2 with antibody-drug conjugates offers a therapeutic strategy for TROP2-expressing cancers like lung and breast cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between TROP2 expression and clinicopathological factors in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) and squamous cell carcinoma.
• To determine if TROP2 expression serves as a prognostic factor in ADC, considering histological grade, EGFR mutation status, and p53 mutation.

Main Methods:

• Immunohistochemistry was used to assess TROP2 expression in lung ADC and squamous cell carcinoma samples.
• Statistical analysis was performed to correlate TROP2 expression with clinicopathological factors, survival rates, and p53 mutations.

Main Results:

• Increased TROP2 expression was significantly associated with a poorer clinical course in ADC patients, but not in squamous cell carcinoma patients.
• In ADC, a stronger association with poor outcome was observed in high histological grade cases and those without EGFR mutations.
• A significant correlation was found between TROP2 expression and abnormal p53 nuclear accumulation/expression in ADC.

Conclusions:

• TROP2 expression is a significant prognostic factor in lung ADC, especially in high-grade tumors and those without EGFR mutations.
• The study suggests a potential link between p53 mutations and TROP2 expression in ADC, possibly mediated by mutated p53 signals.