BACKGROUND/AIMS: The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in tumor growth, invasion, and metastasis. However, reports on the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) based on radioimmunoassays are conflicting, and its prognostic implications in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are still controversial. METHODS: Seventy-one paraffin-embedded tissue sections from stage I NSCLC patients were stained using a mouse monoclonal antibody against human IGF-1R. RESULTS: The intensity and frequency of IGF-1R expression on the membrane and cytoplasm of cancer cells was evaluated and scored using a semiquantitative system. IGF-1R expression was detected in nine of 71 (12.7%) cases. No significant relationship was found between clinical/histopathological parameters and IGF-1R expression. None of the patients whose tumor expressed IGF-1R had experienced distant metastasis or cancer-related death, although the difference did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that IGF-1R expression may not be a major prognostic factor for stage I NSCLC.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Animals ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/*immunology/mortality/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I/*biosynthesis ; Male ; Mice ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prognosis ; Receptor, IGF Type 1/*biosynthesis