Prognostic Factors in Resected Stage I Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Multivariate Analysis of Six Molecular Markers

PURPOSE: To analyze the prognostic significance of six molecular biomarkers (death-associated protein kinase DAPK promoter methylation, interleukin-10 IL-10 protein expression, cyclooxygenase-2 COX-2 mRNA expression, human telomerase reverse transcriptase catalytic subunit hTERT mRNA expression, retinoic acid receptor-beta RAR-beta mRNA expression, and K-ras mutational status) in stage I non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Biomarker analyses were performed on tumors from 94 patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent surgical resection at our institution. A minimum follow-up period of 5 years was required. DAPK methylation was assessed by methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RAR-beta, COX-2, and hTERT mRNA levels were determined by in situ hybridization with digoxigenin-labeled antisense riboprobes. K-ras mutation status was determined by the PCR-primer introduced restriction with enrichment for mutant alleles method. IL-10 protein expression was analyzed by immunohistochemistry using a polyclonal antihuman IL-10 antibody. Cancer-specific survival was analyzed with a Cox proportional hazards model. To identify independent prognostic factors, a stepwise selection method was used. RESULTS: DAPK methylation, IL-10 lack of expression, COX-2 expression, hTERT expression, RAR-beta expression, and K-ras mutations were observed in 46.8%, 29.8%, 59.6%, 34.0%, 23.4%, and 34.0% of patients, respectively. In the final model, DAPK methylation and IL-10 lack of expression were significant negative prognostic factors for cancer-specific survival, whereas COX-2 expression was of borderline significance. CONCLUSION: In this cohort of resected stage I NSCLC patients, molecular markers that independently predict cancer-specific survival have been identified. The prognostic roles of DAPK methylation, IL-10, and other biomarkers in NSCLC merit further investigation.