Abstract 4329: Expression of serpin B2, neuroserpin and L1CAM in association with metastasis and survival in non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Abstract Background: Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer related deaths worldwide, and finding new prognostic and predictive biomarkers are of utmost importance. Previous studies have shown that different serpins and adhesion molecules have an impact on disease progression and development of metastasis, especially to the brain. Here, we examined whether expression of the anti-plasminogen activators Serpin B2 and Neuroserpin, and the adhesion molecule L1CAM was associated with patient prognosis, brain metastasis or other clinicopathologic characteristics, in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Study design: The material consists of surgical specimens from 100 NSCLC patients treated during 1993-1999 at Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway. Sections from tumor blocks were stained with antibodies to Serpin B2, Neuroserpin, and L1CAM. Results: There were 66 men and 34 women, with a mean age at diagnosis of 65.7 (41 adenocarcinomas, 38 squamous cell carcinomas, and 21 carcinomas of other types). Observation time ranged from 0 to 254 months (mean 74 months). 12 patients were fully recovered, 46 died of lung cancer, and 34 died from other causes. 11 of 89 patients developed brain metastasis. Low expression of Serpin B2 was associated with reduced overall survival (p<0.05) in adenocarcinomas, and with a trend for all types combined (p = 0.10), whereas there was no significant difference in survival related to expression of Neuroserpin or L1CAM. Expression of Neuroserpin was associated with adrenal metastasis (OR 13.3 (95%CI 1.5-119.7), p<0.05), and there were trends for associations between expression of Serpin B2 and metastases to skin and bone (p = 0.072 and p = 0.068, respectively). There were no significant associations between these markers and presence of brain metastasis. Conclusions: Low expression of Serpin B2 in lung adenocarcinoma was associated with reduced overall survival in our cohort. In contrast to previous findings by others, we did not find a relationship between L1CAM expression and overall survival or metastasis. Neither was there any association between expression of Neuroserpin and survival, although we found an increase in adrenal metastasis in this group. Low expression of Serpin B2 could be a biomarker for prognosis in lung adenocarcinomas and should be studied in other cohorts. Citation Format: Maria Ramnefjell, Lars Helgeland, Lars A. Akslen. Expression of serpin B2, neuroserpin and L1CAM in association with metastasis and survival in non-small cell lung cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 4329. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-4329