Prognostic value of p16INK4A expression in lung adenocarcinoma.

The analysis attempted to determine whether the expression of p16INK4A has prognostic relevance for patients with lung adenocarcinomas. For this purpose, immunohistochemistry was used to analyze 58 adenocarcinomas. Of the tumors investigated, 20 did not express p16INK4A, while 38 yielded a positive staining result. Median survival time was shorter for patients with p16INK4A negative carcinomas than for those with p16INK4A positive tumors (47 vs. 79 weeks, P = 0.11). The relative risk for patients with p16INK4A negative tumors was increased by a factor of 1.6 in comparison to positively stained tumors. There exists a direct correlation between the proportion of G0/G1 phase cells and the p16INK4A expression. Additionally, there is an inverse relationship between S phases and p16INK4A expression. Furthermore, p16INK4A negative adenocarcinomas show more frequent growth in nude mice than p16INK4A positive carcinomas.