Bax Protein Expression in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Objective To study the relation between the apoptosis relating protein bax exprexssion with the clinicopothologic characteristic and prognosis in human lung cancer.Methods 68 resected lung cancer and 11 normal lung tissues were investigated by means of immunhistochemistry, the apoptosis activity was also visualized by TUNEL.Results The percentage of bax positive cases in non small cell lung cancer was 54 41%, they had significant differences compared with normal lung tissues ( P 0 01); the percentage of bax in squamous cell carcinomas (39 47%) was significantly lower than that in adenocarcinomas(73 33%), P 0 01. Statistical comparision between the patients' clinical characteristics and bax status reveal no significant differences in the frequency of bax protein expression with respect to T and N factors, clinical stages, sex, ages, as well as smoking. The apoptosis index(AI) in normal lung tissues was higher than that in lung cancer( P 0 05).Conclusions Bax is correlated with the histologcal type and prognosis of non small cell lung cancer, they are play a role in the genesis and development of non small cell lung cancer by ragulate apoptosis.