Napsin A is an independent prognostic factor in surgically resected adenocarcinoma of the lung

Abstract

IntroductionNapsin A is regarded as a marker of lung adenocarcinoma. However, no comprehensive analyses of napsin A-positive lung ADCs or the prognostic significance of napsin A expression have been reported to date. Methods110 primary lung adenocarcinoma cases were analyzed for clinicopathologic parameters, including overall survival, stage, histology, napsin A and TTF-1 expression, EGFR mutation, and ALK rearrangement. ResultsNapsin A-positive adenocarcinomas were significantly more prevalent among tumors characterized as relatively small (p=0.023), non-solid predominant (p<0.001), non-mucinous/enteric (p<0.001), positive for TTF-1 expression (p<0.001), and positive for EGFR mutation (p=0.001). Multivariate analysis of overall survival demonstrated that the absence of napsin A was an independent prognostic factor for reduced survival time (p=0.002). ConclusionClinicopathologic characteristics associated with napsin A-positive lung ADC are similar to and overlap with those of TTF-1-positve ADCs. The absence of napsin A is an independent poor prognostic factor in surgically resected adenocarcinoma. Further studies are necessary to determine the role of napsin A in the progression of lung adenocarcinoma.