Expression and Clinical Significance of Thyroid Transcription Factor 1 in Lung Cancer Tissues

Objective To investigate the expression and diagnostic significance of thyroid transcription factor1( TTF-1) in lung cancer tissues. Methods The expression of TTF-1 was detected by immunohistochemical staining in 50 cases of primary lung cancer( including 23 cases of adenocarcinoma,14 cases of squamous carcinoma,9 cases of small-cell lung cancer,and 4 cases of large-cell lung cancer) and para-carcinoma tissues as well as 21 cases of metastatic lung adenocarcinomas from digestive tract and ovaries. The diagnostic and differential diagnostic values of TTF-1 in lung cancer were assessed. Results The positive expression rates of TTF-1 were 73. 9%( 17 /23) in adenocarcinoma,0 in squamouse cell carcinoma,77. 8%( 7 /9) in small-cell lung cancer tissues and 50. 0%( 2 /4) in large-cell lung cancer tissues,0 in metastatic lung adenocarcinomas,respectively. The positive expression rates of TTF-1 in adenocarcinoma and small-cell lung cancer tissues were higher than that in squamouse cell carcinoma tissues( P 0. 05). In para-carcinoma tissues of primary lung cancer,normal or proliferous alveolar epithelium were less staining and had fewer positive cells( 20%). The expressions of TTF-1 were all negative in the para-carcinoma tissues of secondary lung cancer. The positive expression rate of TTF-1 in lung cancer tissues wasn' t related with patients' age,gender,tumor size,tumor location( P 0. 05). Conclusion TTF-1 can be used as a specific indicator for the differential diagnosis of primary or secondary lung adenocarcinomas,and it provides some references for the judgement of histological type of primary lung cancer.