Original Articles
DETECTION OF OCCULT TUMOR CELLS IN RESECTED LYMPH NODES OF PATIENTS WITH STAGE I CARCINOMA AND ITS CLINICOPATHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
Abstract
Objective: A lot of 3715 resected lymph nodes from 350 stage 1 cancer patients, including 94 NSCLC, 112 breast carcinoma, 115 esophageal carcinoma, and 29 vulvar carcinoma cases, were re-examined by immunohistochemistry.
Methods: Using monoclonal anticytokeratins (AEI/AE3), anti-EMA, and polyclonal antikeratin antibodies, the tumor cell micrometastases were detected to obtain more reliable information concerning the nodal status.
Results: Nodal occult metastases were observed in 113 Of 350 (32.5%) patients and in 203 of 3715 (5.5%) nodes. The positive rates in both patients and nodes were higher in NSCLC than in others (P<0.05). The nodal occult metastases were seen in 58% of pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma and 53.8% of adenocarcinoma, while they were seen in 22.5% of esophageal and 10.3% of vulvar squamous cell carcinomas and in 27.7% of breast adenocarcinoma (P<0.05). Follow-up of a part of breast carcinoma patients showed that the clinical prognosis was worse in patients with positive nodes than in negative ones (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The data suggested that the immunohistochemical techniques can significantly facilitate the detection of micrometastatic tumor cells in lymph nodes. The frequency of nodal occult metastases may have important impact on the clinical prognosis of cancer patients.
Methods: Using monoclonal anticytokeratins (AEI/AE3), anti-EMA, and polyclonal antikeratin antibodies, the tumor cell micrometastases were detected to obtain more reliable information concerning the nodal status.
Results: Nodal occult metastases were observed in 113 Of 350 (32.5%) patients and in 203 of 3715 (5.5%) nodes. The positive rates in both patients and nodes were higher in NSCLC than in others (P<0.05). The nodal occult metastases were seen in 58% of pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma and 53.8% of adenocarcinoma, while they were seen in 22.5% of esophageal and 10.3% of vulvar squamous cell carcinomas and in 27.7% of breast adenocarcinoma (P<0.05). Follow-up of a part of breast carcinoma patients showed that the clinical prognosis was worse in patients with positive nodes than in negative ones (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The data suggested that the immunohistochemical techniques can significantly facilitate the detection of micrometastatic tumor cells in lymph nodes. The frequency of nodal occult metastases may have important impact on the clinical prognosis of cancer patients.
