Expression of tumor metastasis associated genes mts1 and nm23-H1 in lung carcinoma and their clinical pathological significance

Objective To study the expression of metastasis associated genes mts1 and nm23-H1 in the lung carcinoma and the relationship with tumour size, staging of lung carcinoma. Methods A total of 26 cases of human lung squamous cell carcinoma and 13 cases of human lung adenocarcinoma were studied with in situ hybridization with mts1 and nm23-H1 cDNA probes labelled with digoxin. Results The tumor size of less than or up to 3cm were 7 cases, larger than 3cm were 19 cases in 26 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, in which expression of mts1 mRNA and nm23-H1 mRNA was 4 cases and 9 cases, and 2 cases and 16 cases, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups. The squamous cell carcinomas in stages Ⅰ～Ⅱ and stages Ⅲ～Ⅳ were 15 caeses and 11 cases, and the expression of mts1 mRNA was 4 cases and 9 cases, respectively, and there was a significant difference between the two groups; and nm23-H1 mRNA was positively expressed in 10 cases and 8 cases respectively, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. The tumor size less than or up to 3cm was 4 cases and larger than 3cm was 9 cases in 13 cases of adenocarcinoma, the expression of mts1 mRNA and nm23-H1 mRNA was 2 cases and 5 cases, 3 cases and 7 cases, respectively, and the positive rates were not significantly different. The adenocarcinoma of stagesⅠ～Ⅱ and stages Ⅲ～Ⅳ was 7 cases and 6 cases, and the expression of mts1 and nm23-H1 mRNA was 3 cases and 4 cases, 5 cases and 5 cases, respectively, with no significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion The mst1 mRNA expression is not related to the tumor size in lung squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, but related closely to PTNM staging in lung squamous cell carcinoma; nm23-H1 mRNA expression is closely related to the tumour size in lung squamous cell carcinoma, but not in lung adenocarcinoma and not to PTNM staging.