Annals of Oncology Advance Access published online on September 18, 2009
Annals of Oncology, doi:10.1093/annonc/mdp357
Insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R) expression and survival in surgically resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients
1 Department of Oncology–Hematology, Istituto Clinico Humanitas Istituto di Ricerca a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rozzano
2 Department of Pathology, Ospedale Bellaria, Bologna, Italy
3 University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO, USA
4 Statitistic Unit, Istituto Clinico Humanitas IRCCS, Rozzano, Italy
5 Division of Molecular Pathology, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
6 Department of Pathology, University of Milan School of Medicine, Istituto Clinico Humanitas IRCCS, Rozzano, Italy
* Correspondence to: Dr F. Cappuzzo, Department of Oncology–Hematology, Istituto Clinico Humanitas IRCCS, via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Italy. Tel: +39-02-82244097; Fax: +39-02-82244590; E-mail: federico.cappuzzo{at}humanitas.it
Background: The purpose of this study is to investigate the prognostic role of insulin-like growth factor receptor 1 (IGF1R) expression in surgically resected non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Patient characteristics and methods: This retrospective study was conducted in 369 stage I–II–IIIA, surgically resected, NSCLC patients. Patients exposed to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) agents were excluded. IGF1R expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in tissue microarray sections.
Results: A positive IGF1R expression (score 
100) was observed in 282 cases (76.4%) and was significantly associated with squamous cell histology (P = 0.04) and with grade III differentiation (P = 0.02). No difference in survival was observed between the positive and negative group when score 100 was used as cut-off for discriminating a positive versus a negative IGF1R result (52 versus 48 months, P = 0.99) or when median value of IGF1R expression was used (45 versus 55 months, P = 0.36). No difference in survival was observed between IGF1R-positive and -negative patients in a subgroup of stage I–II adenocarcinoma (n = 137) with known EGFR mutation and copy number status.
Conclusions: IGF1R expression does not represent a prognostic factor in resected NSCLC patients. Patients with squamous cell carcinoma overexpress IGF1R more frequently than patients with nonsquamous histology, justifying the different sensitivity to anti-IGF1R agents observed in clinical trials.
EGFR, IGF1R, non-small-cell lung cancer, prognosis
Received for publication April 1, 2009. Revision received June 8, 2009. Accepted for publication June 9, 2009.