The Current Immunohistochemistry Markers in the Resected Tissues of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer Could Not Predict Prognosis

Background and objective It has been drawn much attention to identify the molecular markers by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for evaluating the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following resection. The aim of this study is to retrospectively associate ever tested IHC markers and prognosis of NSCLC after resection. Methods A total of 722 NSCLC patients underwent surgery by single surgeon team from 2008 to 2013. Twelve molecular markers had been examined by IHC and the staining signals was re-scored with unified standard. Survival analysis by univariate and multivariate was carried out to assess the significance of these markers in prognosis of NSCLC in our prospective database with strict follow-up. Results The following twelve IHC markers had been tested between 2008 and 2013, including platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR)(n=124), excision repair cross complementing 1 (ERCC1)(n=124), epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR)(n=131), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 3 (VEGFR3)(n=142), NM23 (n=129), MRP (n=109), P170 (n=104), TS (n=143), Tubulin (n=133), ribonucleotide reductase M1 (RRM1)(n=131), ribonucleotide reductase M1 (COX2)(n=138), and TOPII (n=127). Only VEGFR3 expression was correlated with prognosis of the patients by univariate analysis, with 5-yrs survival rate being 77.6% and 65.0% (positive vs. negative) respectively (P=0.042). However, VEGFR3 was not an independent prognostic factor for this series of NSCLC patients in multivariate analysis. Conclusion These twelve IHC markers could not predict prognosis of NSCLC patients after surgery in our series.