Relationships between growth rate and Ki-67 and immune indices in ground-glass nodule-featured lung adenocarcinoma

This study aimed to explore the correlation between the growth rate of resected ground glass nodule-featured lung adenocarcinomas (GGN-LUAD) and Ki-67, as well as various immune indexes, in patients with a follow-up period exceeding one year.

Sixty-seven tumors were divided into a growth group and a non-growth group. The volume doubling time (VDT) and mass doubling time (MDT) of the growth nodules were calculated. Immunohistochemical methods were used to detect the expression of Ki67, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD20, CD68, and CD163 in pulmonary nodules. The relationships between these immune markers and the growth of GGN-LUAD were explored. At VDT = 600 days, the growth nodules were divided into a fast-growth group and a slow-growth group.

The median VDT and MDT were 1059.3 and 947.9 days, respectively, for 49 growth GGN-LUAD. Compared with that in the non-growth group, the percentage of Ki67 positive cells in the growth group was significantly greater (p = 0.001). Among the 49 growth nodules, there was a significant correlation between CD3, Ki-67 and the VDT (p = 0.020; p = 0.003), and a significant negative correlation between Ki-67 and the MDT (p < 0.001). In the 32 pathologically proven growth invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) subgroups, a strong positive association between CD3 expression and VDT was discovered (p = 0.029), and a significant negative correlation between Ki-67 and MDT (p = 0.014). The CD3 of the slow-growth group was substantially higher than that of the fast-growth group (p = 0.034).

This study preliminarily explored the relationships among Ki-67 expression, the molecular immune characteristics of lung adenocarcinoma and its growth course. Higher Ki-67 expression is more likely associated with the growth of GGN-LUAD. In addition, higher CD3 expression is associated with the slow growth of GGN-LUAD.