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Vol.47 No.7 contents | Japanese/English |
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- The 21st Lung Cancer Workshop -
Molecular Pathology of the Lung Cancer -Molecular Classification of Lung Cancer Based on Expression Profile-
Yasushi Yatabe11Department of Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Aichi Cancer Center, Japan
Objective. Unsupervised hierarchical clustering in expression profiling analyses allows molecular classification of tumors, based on the similarity of the genome-wide expression patterns. This new molecular-based classification shares the current pathological classification in part, though it also provides additional clues to identify cancers by their biological groups. Here, we introduce a novel means of molecular classification of lung cancer. Study Design. We examined the gene expression profiling analyses of lung cancers published so far. Results. The molecular classification can differ from the current classification schema, dividing lung cancers into 2 distinct branches. One of the branches includes adenocarcinoma alone, which is associated with a normal expression profile, while the group in the other branch is composed of all 4 histological subtypes. The former subset of adenocarcinomas is characterized by frequent development in females and non-smokers, expression of thyroid transcription factor-1 and surfactant proteins, and specific involvement of EGFR gene mutation, suggesting a distinct subset of lung adenocarcinoma. Conclusion. The molecular classification based on expression profile revealed biological significance of the cellular lineage of the lung cancer.
key words: Lung cancer, Terminal respiratory unit type adenocarcinoma, EGFR gene mutation, Molecular classification of the cancer
JJLC 47 (7): 909-913, 2007
