Objective: To evaluate the expression of fatty acid synthase (FAS) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Methods: FAS was examined by immunohistochemical S-P technique in 175 specimens of NSCLC patients. Multiple clinical factors were analyzed according to their relation with expression of FAS.
Results: The overall FAS expression rate was 31.4% (55/175). The expression of FAS in the non-adenocarcinoma patients was significantly higher than that of adenocarcinoma patients (38.4% vs 22.4%, P = 0.036). Higher FAS expression was also detected in patients who had vascular invasion or bone metastasis than those without (75.0% vs 29.3%, P = 0.02 and 46.9% vs 28.0%, P = 0.037). But, there was no significant difference between FAS and other clinical factors such as age, sex, smoking index, tumor size, stage, degree of differentiation, lymphatic metastasis, local recurrence or distant metastasis. Although there was no significant difference in the survival rates of FAS positive and negative patients (P = 0.066), the survival rate of FAS positive stage I patients was lower than that of negative ones (P = 0.005).
Conclusion: Fatty acid synthase in the specimens of non-small cell lung cancer patients has no correlation with most clinical factors, except that, in early lesions, it may signify poor prognosis.