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Open Access 01-12-2021 | NSCLC | Research article

Role of Synaptophysin, Chromogranin and CD56 in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung lacking morphological features of neuroendocrine differentiation: a retrospective large-scale study on 1170 tissue samples

Authors: Katharina Kriegsmann, Christiane Zgorzelski, Thomas Muley, Petros Christopoulos, Michael Thomas, Hauke Winter, Martin Eichhorn, Florian Eichhorn, Moritz von Winterfeld, Esther Herpel, Benjamin Goeppert, Albrecht Stenzinger, Felix J. F. Herth, Arne Warth, Mark Kriegsmann

Published in: BMC Cancer | Issue 1/2021

Abstract

Background

Synaptophysin, chromogranin and CD56 are recommended markers to identify pulmonary tumors with neuroendocrine differentiation. Whether the expression of these markers in pulmonary adenocarcinoma and pulmonary squamous cell carcinoma is a prognostic factor has been a matter of debate. Therefore, we investigated retrospectively a large cohort to expand the data on the role of synaptophysin, chromogranin and CD56 in non-small cell lung cancer lacking morphological features of neuroendocrine differentiation.

Methods

A cohort of 627 pulmonary adenocarcinomas (ADC) and 543 squamous cell carcinomas (SqCC) lacking morphological features of neuroendocrine differentiation was assembled and a tissue microarray was constructed. All cases were stained with synaptophysin, chromogranin and CD56. Positivity was defined as > 1% positive tumor cells. Data was correlated with clinico-pathological features including overall and disease free survival.

Results

110 (18%) ADC and 80 (15%) SqCC were positive for either synaptophysin, chromogranin, CD56 or a combination. The most commonly positive single marker was synaptophysin. The least common positive marker was chromogranin. A combination of ≤2 neuroendocrine markers was positive in 2–3% of ADC and 0–1% of SqCC. There was no significant difference in overall survival in tumors with positivity for neuroendocrine markers neither in ADC (univariate: P = 0.4; hazard ratio [HR] = 0.867; multivariate: P = 0.5; HR = 0.876) nor in SqCC (univariate: P = 0.1; HR = 0.694; multivariate: P = 0.1, HR = 0.697). Likewise, there was no significant difference in disease free survival.

Conclusions

We report on a cohort of 1170 cases that synaptophysin, chromogranin and CD56 are commonly expressed in ADC and SqCC and that their expression has no impact on survival, supporting the current best practice guidelines.

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Title: Role of Synaptophysin, Chromogranin and CD56 in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung lacking morphological features of neuroendocrine differentiation: a retrospective large-scale study on 1170 tissue samples
Authors: Katharina Kriegsmann
Christiane Zgorzelski
Thomas Muley
Petros Christopoulos
Michael Thomas
Hauke Winter
Martin Eichhorn
Florian Eichhorn
Moritz von Winterfeld
Esther Herpel
Benjamin Goeppert
Albrecht Stenzinger
Felix J. F. Herth
Arne Warth
Mark Kriegsmann
Publication date: 01-12-2021
Publisher: BioMed Central
Keywords: NSCLC
NSCLC
Published in: BMC Cancer / Issue 1/2021
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2407
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-021-08140-9

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