Expression and significance of cyclin D1, p27kip1 protein in bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

PURPOSE To investigate the relationship between expression of cell cycle-related protein cyclin D1, p27kip1 and the pathogenesis of bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC) and the value of prediction of prognosis. METHODS Cyclin D1 and p27kip1 protein were detected by immunohistochemical En Vision method in 43 BACs. RESULTS The positivity of cyclin D1 in BAC was 65.1% (28/43), which was significantly higher than that in normal pulmonary tissue (0/13), P<0.01. No statistically significant association was found between cyclin D1 expression data and sex, age, tobacco-use history, histologic subtype (mucinous vs nonmucinous), stromal fibrosis, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage or postoperative survival period (P>0.05), while cyclin D1 expression was found to be negatively correlated with tumor size (P<0.05). The positivity of p27kip1 in BACs was 51.2% (22/43), significantly lower than that in normal pulmonary tissue (12/13), P<0.01. p27kip1 expression level was not associated with sex, age, tobacco-use history, tumor size or histologic subtype (P>0.05), but was negatively correlated with stromal fibrosis, lymph node metastasis and clinical stage (P<0.05); and positively associated with postoperative survival period (P<0.01). The survival rate of p27kip1 positive group was significantly higher than that of p27kip1 negative group (P<0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between cyclin D1 and p27kip1 expression. CONCLUSIONS Increased cyclin D1 expression and decreased p27kip1 expression are related to the pathogenesis of BAC; decreased p27kip1 expression is associated with metastasis progression; immunodetection of p27kip1 is useful for assessment of prognosis.