Histological and thermodynamical features of cathepsin B-positive tumors of non-small cell lung cancer obtained by syntactic structure analysis

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Baumhäkel, Jan-Dirk | Kayser, Klaus | Kalman, Endre | Kos, Janko | Lah, Tamara | Spiess, Eberhard | Ebert, Werner | Fiehn, Walter | Werle, Bernd

Affiliations: Abteilung für Pathologie, Thoraxklinik Heidelberg gGmbH, Amalienstr. 5, D-69126 Heidelberg, Germany, Tel.: 49 6221 396 497, Fax.: 49 6221 396 238 | Abteilung für Klinische Chemie, Tel.: 49 6221 396 215, Fax: 49 6221 396 415 | University Medical School of Pecs, 12 Szigeti str, H-7643 Pecs, Hungary, Department of Pathology, Tel.: 36 72 324-122/1621, Fax: 36 72 336-621 | Jozef-Stefan-Institute, Jamova 39, SI-61111 Ljubljana, Slovenia, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; KRKA d.d., R Division, Novo Mesto, Department of Biochemical Research and Drug Design, Tel.: 386 1 423 3832, Fax: 386 1 423 3833 | National Institute of Biology, SLO-61111 Ljubljana, Vectna pot 111, Slovenia, Tel.: 386 61 125-5114, Fax: 386 61 123-5038 | Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, D-69120, Heidelberg, Germany, Biomedizinische Strukturforschung, Tel.: 49 6221 423426, Fax: 49 6221 423459 | Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik der Universität Heidelberg, Bergheimerstr. 58, D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany, Zentrallabor, Tel.: 49 6221 568813, Fax: 49 6221 564614

Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. B.Werle Zentrallabor Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik  der Universität Heidelberg Bergheimerstr. 58 D-69115 Heidelberg, Germany Tel.: 49 6221 568813 Fax: 49 6221 564614

Abstract: Cellular orders in normal tissue and in tumors can be described on the basis of physical terms. Assuming that the peptidase cathepsin B is involved as an essential factor in tumor progression we analyzed the corresponding distribution pattern and determined the entropy of this cell fraction in tumors by syntactic structure analysis using nearest neighbor relationships. Of the 120 surveyed sections from primary lung tumors 62 (51.7 %) were identified with cathepsin B expressing cells. Cathepsin B-positive tumor cells have significantly shorter mean cell-cell distances (p<0.01) and form significantly higher number of tumor cell clusters (p<0.01) when compared with cathepsin B-negative tumor cells. The diameters of the cathepsin B positive tumor cell clusters are increased in moderately and intensively stained tumor cell areas compared to the cathepsin B negative ones (p<0.1 and p<0.05, respectively). The mean cell-cell distance between positive tumor cells was significantly shorter in squamous cell carcinomas (SCC) compared to adenocarcinomas (AC) (p<0.01). We found an increased number of tumor cell clusters in intensively stained areas of SCC compared with AC (p<0.05). Interestingly, in dedifferentiated tumors cells which strongly expressed cathepsin B, have significantly (p<0.01) shorter mean cell-cell distances compared with those well differentiated tumors. In conclusion, cathepsin B positive tumor cells have shorter mean cell-cell distances and form higher number of tumor cell clusters. Our findings indicate that cathepsin B positive tumor cells of primary lung tumors seem to detach as tumor cell clusters instead of single tumor cells. This process appears to be more pronounced in squamous cell carcinomas than in adenocarcinomas.

Keywords: cathepsin B, syntactic structure analysis, thermodynamic features, entropy, non-small cell lung cancer

Journal: Electronic Journal of Pathology and Histology, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 06-06, 2001