CEACAM5 as a biomarker of semi-solid, lepidic lung adenocarcinoma

Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5) is a cell adhesion molecule implicated in tumor cell migration, invasion, and resistance to apoptosis. Its role as a circulating biomarker in the form of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is well-established in gastrointestinal malignancies. CEACAM5 is also overexpressed in approximately 25% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), particularly lung adenocarcinoma, yet its role as a biomarker and therapeutic target remains unclear. We previously demonstrated elevated CEACAM5 RNA expression in lepidic adenocarcinomas that appear radiographically as ground-glass opacities (GGOs) and semi-solid lung cancer. In this study, using a separate patient cohort, we assess CEACAM5 protein expression as a potential biomarker in GGO and semi-solid NSCLC.

CEACAM5 immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certified setting on surgically resected NSCLC. Slides underwent expert thoracic pathologist review and quantification of CEACAM5 expression with standardized H-score. Expression was compared between tumors which were radiographically subsolid, ground-glass, with pathologic lepidic adenocarcinoma (GGO) (n=36) versus solid NSCLC tumors (n=98), and sub-group comparisons were performed based on patient and tumor characteristics. Specimens underwent multiplex immunofluorescence to characterize the immune microenvironment and quantify CD8⁺ T cell and CD20⁺ B cell infiltration.

Lepidic adenocarcinoma GGOs exhibited higher CEACAM5 expression than solid NSCLC (H-score: 53 vs. 27, P<0.001). This increase was also observed when compared to individual NSCLC subtypes including lung adenocarcinoma (n=57, H-score: 53 vs. 35, P=0.009), squamous cell carcinoma (n=20, H-score: 53 vs. 4.6, P=0.003), and large cell carcinoma (n=10, H-score: 53 vs. 12, P=0.02). Among the GGO cohort, specimens with CEACAM5 H-score 100 exhibited a higher density of PanCK+ tumor cells (5.5% vs. 2.2%, P=0.02). Among the adenocarcinoma cohort, patients with higher stage adenocarcinoma (stage II-IV) had higher CEACAM5 H-scores than patients with stage I adenocarcinoma although not statistically significant (H-score: 50 vs. 28, P=0.09). The GGO specimens with the highest CEACAM5 H-scores (≥100, n=5) had a clinical history of radiographic evolution, and developing a new radiographic solid component prior to surgical resection, compared to GGO with lower CEACAM5 H-scores (<100, n=6) where this radiographic evolution was observed in only 46%.

Our findings demonstrate that CEACAM5 is significantly overexpressed in lepidic adenocarcinoma GGO compared to other forms of solid NSCLC, suggesting its potential utility as a diagnostic biomarker for this subtype of NSCLC. Future studies should explore the clinical utility of CEACAM5-targeted strategies for early detection of invasive lung cancer and lung nodule risk stratification.