[Correlation between proliferative processes and cell death in non-small cell lung cancer with glandular differentiation at different stages of tumor progression].

Surgical material (removed lungs or their parts) from 58 patients operated in 1993-1998 was investigated. Lung adenocarcinomas (LAC) are characterized by low proliferative activity of tumor cells. With a decrease of LAC differentiation, tumor cell death by terminal differentiation also diminished which was accompanied by low bcl-2 expression and enhancement of spontaneous apoptosis with active accumulation of protein products of p53 expression in tumor cells nuclei. Expression of c-myc and bax remained unchanged. On the whole, the picture reminds that in lung squamous cell carcinoma. Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma is characterized by low proliferative activity combined with higher apoptosis compared to LAC. Large cell lung carcinoma and adenomatous-squamous lung carcinoma demonstrated the highest proliferation and spontaneous apoptosis of tumor cells with accumulation in these cells of p53, bcl-2 and bax comparing to non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSLC) with adenomatous differentiation. Progression of NCLC with adenomatous differentiation largely depends not only on proliferative activity of tumor cells but on tumor cell death due to terminal differentiation, apoptosis and necrosis as well.