I am looking for the gene expression profile for lung cancer, however the articles I come across are so confusing and discuss a large range of genes that leave me hanging in limbo!
That's why I am seeking help to choose 2 commonly reliable markers. And also, are your suggestions solely expressed in lung cancer cells or are they present in other malignant cells coming from other tissues as well?
Hanie,
Lung cancer, the second most common cancer, is classified into two principal types, small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) based on histological characteristics; the former accounts for about 20% of all cases of lung cancers, while the latter accounts for 80%. The 3 types of NSLC comprise adenocarcinoma, squamous cell, and large cell carcinoma. Distinguishing SCLC from NSCLC when a tumor is observed under a microscope is crucial for implementing a reliable treatment. Distinctions between NSCLC and SCLC can be made when comparing processes in the differentiation and prognosis of the tumor. SCLC possesses the property to develop into NSCLC. Reliable and proper diagnosis of these types of lung cancers is critical, as the two types of lung cancers present different prognoses and must be treated in different ways. The preferred treatment for the early stages of NSCLC is surgery whereas chemotherapy and radiotherapy are employed to manage cancer in SCLC. ProGRP (progastrin-releasing peptide), a recently identified biomarker of early-stage SCLC, a disorder of neuroendocrine tissue differentiation, is utilized to distinguish between the two main types of lung cancer. Studies show that ProGRP as a standalone test excels the neuron-specific enolase (NSE)1) test and that the measurement of both ProGRP and NSE enhances diagnostic accuracy. Other subtypes of lung cancers can also be distinguished such as EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutation-induced lung cancers.
For a marker of SCLC, you can detect the expression of CRMP5. It's a marker of the eraly stages of this particular cancer and it's not expressed in normal lung cells. see paper attached
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18769332
The following article may be useful.
Cho WC (2007) Potentially useful biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of lung cancer. Biomed Pharmacother 61: 515–519. pmid:17913444 doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2007.08.005
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2718421/
As far as I am aware, there are no specific markers that reliably differentiate normal lung from lung cancer.
I agree with Dr. Duffy. Nothing beats H& E morphology in this setting.
Thank you for sharing for your ideas everyone!
However, there arises a question in my mind regarding Dr. Loy's answer. Will pathology tests be reliable even if the transformation is in its initial steps and no morphological changes has still been occurred? I mean, isn't it probable to have cancerous lung cells that look similar regarding morphology, but posses a cancerous genome profile?
And although pathology tests wouldn't be able to give quantitative results (that is what I think and I might be wrong), how reliable are these tests?
Thank your for your time and expertise regarding this matter.