EXPRESSION OF MARKERS OF APOPTOSIS (P53, BCL-2, BAX) AND PROLIFERATION (KI-67, TOPOISOMERASE IIA, ARGYROPHILIC PROTEINS OF NUCLEOLAR ORGANIZER REGIONS) IN HEALTHY PERSONS AND NON-SMALL CELL LUNG CANCER PATIENTS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH SOME CLINICAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL PARAMETERS

Abstract

Study of markers of apoptosis and proliferation in relation to clinical and morphological parameters in non-small cell cancer (NSCLC) patients and healthy persons. There were investigated 237 surgery samples of NSCLC and 10 cases of normal lung tissues. p53, bcl-2, bax, Ki-67, topoisomerase IIα (ТороIIα) levels were determined by immunohistochemical method. Argyrophilic proteins associated with nucleolar organizer regions (AgNOR) were detected with silver nitrate. In NSCLC expression of p53, bcl-2, Ki-67, TopoIIα, AgNOR increased and expression of bax was lower if compared with the normal tissue. Expression of apoptotic markers (p53, bcl-2, bax) correlated with clinical and morphological parameters of NSCLC: histogenesis, N index and the stage (for bcl-2), gender (for bax). Expression of Ki-67 and TopoIIα correlated with gender, largest size of the tumor, histogenesis and differentiation. AgNOR proteins were interrelated with the gender, T and N indices, largest tumor dimension, stage, histogenesis and differentiation. In NSCLC cases the expression of apoptotic markers correlated with proliferation: in p53 positive tumors - high level of proliferation (Ki-67, TopoIIα, AgNOR), in bcl-2 positive tumors - low AgNOR, in bax positive tumors - low proliferative activity (Ki-67, TopoIIα). In NSCLC there is observed the change in expression of apoptotic markers (p53, bcl-2, bax) and proliferation (Ki-67, TopoIIα, AgNOR) in conjunction with normal tissue and clinical and morphological parameters of tumor.