Topographical analysis of p53 expression and DNA ploidy in early bronchial squamous cell carcinoma and preneoplastic lesions

Dietary diindolylmethane suppresses inflammation-driven lung squamous cell carcinoma in mice

Inflammatory conditions of the lung such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are known to increase lung cancer risk, particularly lung squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). In the present study, we developed a mouse model of inflammation-driven LSCC that was induced by N-nitroso-trischloroethylurea (NTCU) and enhanced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent proinflammatory agent contained in tobacco and tobacco smoke, and determined the chemopreventive effects of BioResponse diindolylmethane (DIM) in the same model. Compared with mice treated with NTCU alone, mice treated with the combination of NTCU and LPS had a 9-fold increase in the number of bronchioles with LSCC. Also, compared with mice treated with LPS alone, mice treated with NTCU plus LPS showed significantly increased expression of the inflammatory cytokines IL1α, IL6, and TNFα (all three increased about 7-fold). Parallel to the increased cytokine gene expression, the NTCU plus LPS-treated group exhibited significantly enhanced activation of NF-κB, STAT3, ERK, p-38, and Akt, expression of p53, COX-2, and Mcl-1, and NF-κB- and STAT3-DNA binding in the lung. Dietary administration of DIM (10 μmol/g diet or 2,460 ppm) to mice treated with NTCU plus LPS reduced the incidence of LSCC by 2-fold, suppressed activation/expression of proinflammatory and procarcinogenic proteins and NF-κB- and STAT3-DNA binding, but not the expression of cytokines and p53. This study highlights the potential significance of our mouse model to identify promising drugs or dietary agents for the chemoprevention of human LSCC and that DIM is a very good candidate for clinical lung cancer chemoprevention trials.

Analysis of c-ErbB1/epidermal growth factor receptor and c-ErbB2/HER-2 expression in bronchial dysplasia: evaluation of potential targets for chemoprevention of lung cancer

PURPOSE

Lung cancer is preceded by a premalignant phase during which intervention could decrease associated morbidity and mortality. Molecular characterization of factors involved in controlling progression of bronchial dysplasias will provide markers of premalignant change and identify targets for chemoprevention.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

Immunohistochemical analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR; c-ErbB1/EGFR), HER-2/neu (c-ErbB2/HER-2), Ki-67, and minichromosome maintenance protein 2 (MCM2) expression in bronchial dysplasia was undertaken to characterize molecular alterations associated with the progression of these lesions in 268 bronchoscopically obtained biopsies from 134 subjects.

RESULTS

Analysis of biopsies with the most severe diagnosis from each subject showed a linear relationship between increasing marker expression and severity of dysplastic change for EGFR (P < 0.001), Ki-67 (P < 0.001), and MCM2 (P = 0.001) but not HER-2 (P = 0.102). Increased expression of either EGFR or HER-2 was associated with increased levels of Ki-67 and MCM2 expression, and combined overexpression of these receptors was associated with the highest levels of proliferation, suggesting a synergistic effect. Finally, the lack of an associated trend toward increased EGFR expression when comparing the worst and best biopsies within each subject indicated a potential field effect in the induction of EGFR expression.

CONCLUSIONS

The results suggest a prominent role for EGFR overexpression in the development and progression of bronchial dysplasia and provide rationale for exploring inhibition of EGFR signaling in lung cancer chemoprevention.

Chromosomal abnormalities in non-small cell lung carcinomas and in bronchial epithelia of high-risk smokers detected by multi-target interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization

Human lung carcinogenesis is accompanied by complex chromosomal changes that may be detected in interphase cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay using recently developed multitarget DNA probes. Touch preparations of 20 non-small cell lung carcinomas, sputum specimens from 3 patients with lung cancer and from 11 ex-smokers without lung cancer, and cultured benign bronchial epithelium of 42 high-risk smokers, 9 of whom had concurrent invasive carcinoma, were tested using a four-color FISH probe (LAVysion) targeting centromere 6, 5p15.2, 7p12 (EGFR), and 8q24 (MYC). Significantly high frequencies of abnormal cells were found in each of the 20 NSCLC (100%) and in the 3 sputum specimens from lung cancer patients. None of the cytologically normal sputa contained FISH abnormalities. Cultured bronchial epithelial cells from 11 of 42 patients (26%) were abnormal for at least one probe. Abnormal FISH patterns had no association with gender, presence of tumor or histology. Multicolor FISH can readily detect chromosomal abnormalities in imprints and sputa from lung carcinomas. Chromosomal aneusomy is also frequent in bronchial epithelial cells from long-term smokers. The prognostic significance of the multicolor LAVysion FISH probe set should be validated in a controlled clinical trial.