Stress proteins HSP27 and HSP70i predict survival in non-small cell lung carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The expression pattern of stress (heat shock) proteins (HSPs) in cancer cells is frequently different from that observed in normal cells; most often some stress-inducible HSPs are constitutively and highly expressed. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of stress proteins HSP70i and HSP27 in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS An immunohistochemical procedure that enables unambiguous detection of HSP70i protein was used. RESULTS Strong HSP70i staining showed a survival advantage, although multivariate analysis did not confirm this result. There was an evident correlation between HSP27 overexpression and survival of patients and the results were confirmed by multivariate analysis: 70% of patients with HSP27-negative tumors died within one year after the surgery. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that HSP27 and HSP70i positivity may represent a favorable prognostic factor in NSCLC.