Expression and Significance of p63 Protein in Non Small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective To investigate the expression of p63 protein in non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC) and its clinicopathological significance.Methods The expression of p63 was examined in 76 cases with NSCLC and in 12 patients with normal lung tissues nearby by immunohistochemical methods(S-P).Results The positive rate of p63 in NSCLC was 55.3%(42/76),and p63 was not expressed at adjacent normal lung tissues(P0.01).The expressions of p63 were significantly different between different histological types of non-small cell lung cancer(P0.05),mainly expressing in squamous cell lung cancer(80.0%);Between squamous carcinomas of lung with various differentiation grades,the expressions of p63 were significantly different(P0.05).The level of positive expression of p63 was not associated with TNM stages、lymph node metastasis、 recurrence and prognosis(P(0.05)).Conclusion The expression of p63 was abnormal in the majority of NSCLC,and it may be a valuable marker in the diagnosis of squamous cell lung cancer and squamous epithelia metaplasia.