면역세포화학적 방법을 이용한 폐암세포의 Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA) 및 Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) 검색에 관한 연구 = Carcinoembryonic Antigen and Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Defined by Immunohistochemical Stain

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Background: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) was defined as an endodermally derived tumor-associated antigen that was also present in fetal gastrointestinal tissues. This antigenic material has been demonstrated in the blood of a large number of patients with other neoplasms, including those arising in the lung. Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) usually stimulate the growth and proliferation of a variety of cell types through binding to a specific cell surface receptor, a 170-KD glycoprotein, EGFR. A part of the EGFR has been found to be homologous to the product of the avian erythroblastosis virus oncogene, c-erb-B. Many squamous cell carcinoma cell lines show high levels of EGFR expression and the EGFR apparently plays an important role in the growth of squamous cell carcinoma. Methods: We have collected paraffin blocks of 100 patients with non-small cell lung cancer who were treated with surgical resection and assessed their CEA and EGFR expression with monoclonal antibodies against the CEA or EGFR by immunohistochemical stain (ABC method). Results: 1) The expression of CEA was 96% and the expression of EGFR was 26% in the Korean non-small cell lung cancer. 2) EGFR immunoreactivity was detected in 19 (30%) of the 63 epidermoid carcinomas, in 4 (14%) of the 27 adenocarcinomas and in 3 (50%) of the 6 undifferentiated carcinomas, while no EGFR immunoreactivity was found in large cell carcinomas. By using the grading system, the EGFR expression grades were low a s grade 1 or 2 +. 3) CEA immunoreactivity by using the grading system was 3 or 4 + in 14 (22%) of the 63 epidermoid carcinomas, in 25 (93%) of the 27 adenocarcinomas and in 2 (33%) of the 6 undifferentiated carcinomas. So the highest prevalence of intracellular CEA was seen in the adenocarcinomas, including the bronchoalveolar type. 4) The median follow-up duration was 2 years (1-41 months) and the 1-year survival rate was 85%, the 2-year survival rate 68% and the 3-year survival rate 54%. A correlation was not demonstrated between the expression rate of CEA or EGFR and the survival rate of lung cancer patients. Conclusions: CEA and EGFR expression in Korean non-small cell lung cancer were observed. But further studies need to be performed to determine whether EGFR expression can be prognostic of lung cancer or not.