Transferrin receptor expression in adenocarcinoma of the lung as a histopathologic indicator of prognosis.

Immunohistochemical reactivity with OKT9 (antitransferrin receptor) monoclonal antibody was studied in 58 surgically resected adenocarcinomas of the lung. The cell surface and cytoplasm of the tumor cells were stained in 44 cases (76 percent). The expression of the transferrin receptor (TrfR) in tumor cells was compared with histopathologic prognostic factors, such as TNM factors, degree of histologic differentiation, degree of nuclear atypia, and frequency of mitotic figures. The expression of TrfR showed significant correlation with the degree of histopathologic differentiation (p less than 0.025), degree of nuclear atypia (p less than 0.025), and frequency of mitotic figures (p less than 0.001). However, there was no definite correlation with TNM factors. These results indicate that the expression of the TrfR in pulmonary adenocarcinoma corresponds to the elevated proliferative activity of the tumor cells, and that immunohistochemical reactivity with OKT9 can be used as one of the histopathologic indicators of prognosis of pulmonary adenocarcinoma.