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Is CK7 a Prognostic Marker in Pulmonary LCNEC? Evidence from a Limited Cohort Study
Hruy Menghesha1,2, Donatas Zalepugas1,2, Amina Camo3
1Division of Thoracic Surgery, Department of General, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, Bonn University Hospital, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
Journal of Personalized Medicine
|February 25, 2025
Summary
Pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) shows a worse prognosis than adenocarcinoma. CK7 expression in LCNEC correlates with poorer long-term survival, indicating its potential as a prognostic marker.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Surgical Pathology
Background:
- Treatment for non-small-cell lung carcinoma has advanced, but pulmonary large-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) treatment remains suboptimal.
- Immunohistochemistry is crucial for accurate risk stratification in lung cancer patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the clinical outcomes of patients with pulmonary LCNEC.
- To determine if CK7 expression is associated with long-term survival in pulmonary LCNEC.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 466 patients undergoing anatomical resection for lung cancer (2012-2020).
- Comparison of survival rates between LCNEC and adenocarcinoma groups using propensity score matching.
- Survival analysis and Cox regression for LCNEC subgroups based on CK7 expression.
Main Results:
- Pulmonary LCNEC patients had significantly shorter mean survival (36.4 months) compared to adenocarcinoma patients (80.7 months).
- LCNEC patients with CK7 expression had a mean survival of 19.23 months, versus 57.01 months for those without CK7 expression (p=0.019).
Conclusions:
- Pulmonary LCNEC presents a significantly worse prognosis than pulmonary adenocarcinoma.
- CK7 expression is linked to poorer long-term survival in patients with highly malignant pulmonary LCNEC, suggesting its prognostic value.
