Prognostic impact of TTF-1 expression in patients with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas.
Academic Article
Overview
abstract
OBJECTIVES: Thyroid transcription factor 1 (TTF-1) is routinely tested in the diagnostic evaluation of suspected lung cancers, is commonly expressed by lung adenocarcinomas, and may modulate lung cancer biology. We examined the role of TTF-1 as a predictive and prognostic marker in patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed clinical, pathologic, and molecular features, treatments received, and overall survival obtained from the medical records of 479 consecutive patients at a single site with stage IV lung adenocarcinomas and evaluable TTF-1 expression. TTF-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry using antibody 8G7G3/1. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: TTF-1 expression was evaluable in 479 (75%) of all patients reviewed, and was positive in 383 (80%, 95% CI 76-83%). Clinicopathologic features were similar between TTF-1 positive and TTF-1 negative tumors, except EGFR mutations were more common in TTF-1 positive cases (24% vs 6%, p<0.001). In univariate analysis, overall survival was significantly longer in patients with TTF-1 positive versus TTF-1 negative tumors (18 months vs 9 months, p<0.0001). In multivariate analysis, TTF-1 positivity remained associated with better overall survival (HR=0.38, p<0.0001), exceeding the prognostic impact of Karnofsky performance status >/=80% (HR 0.62, p=0.0003) and receipt of first-line combination chemotherapy or targeted therapy (HR relative to first-line single agent chemotherapy 0.59, p=0.05 and 0.51, p=0.05 respectively). Both patients with TTF-1 positive and TTF-1 negative cancers had longer durations of initial therapy when treated with pemetrexed-based chemotherapy. In patients with advanced lung adenocarcinomas, TTF-1 expression is associated with better survival but is not predictive of distinct benefit from pemetrexed-based chemotherapy.
