FGFR1、miR-26a、EZH2表达水平的变化与肺癌患者预后的关系

探讨FGFR1、miR-26a、EZH2表达水平的变化与肺癌患者预后的关系。选择100例肺鳞癌患者作为研究对象,50例癌旁组织作为对照组,采用免疫组化法检测FGFR1和EZH2的表达,采用Real-time PCR法检测miR-26a的相对表达量。肺癌组的FGFR1和EZH2阳性率(56.0%和61.0%)均显著高于对照组(24.0%和28.0%),而miR-26a在肺癌组(0.6±0.2)的相对表达水平显著低于对照组(2.3±0.5)(p0.05)。FGFR1的表达与淋巴结转移和吸烟情况有关(p=0.032和p=0.018)。EZH2的表达与TNM分期分化程度和吸烟情况有关(p=0.022,p=0.013和p=0.035)。而miR-26a的表达与淋巴结转移和分化程度有关(p=0.037和p=0.021)。FGFR1阴性患者的生存时间((44.9±4.5)月)显著长于FGFR1阳性患者((39.6±5.4)月)。EZH2阴性患者的生存时间((44.7±5.3)月)显著长于EZH2阳性患者((38.5±5.4)月)。然而FGFR1和EZH2不同的是,miR-26a高表达患者的生存时间((45.4±6.6)月)显著长于miR-26a低表达患者((39.3±4.6)月)。应用生存分析的COX回归模型进行生存期多因素分析显示,FGFR1 (阳性)、EZH2 (阳性)、miR-26a(低表达)、淋巴结转移(是)、分化程度(中-高)和吸烟情况(是)是肺鳞癌患者预后的独立影响因素。FGFR1、miR-26a和EZH2均参与了肺鳞癌的发生发展,并且是肺鳞癌患者的预后独立影响因素。     

非小细胞肺癌FGFR1OP和p57／Kip2的表达及临床意义

探讨FGFR1OP和p57/Kip2在非小细胞肺癌中的表达情况。选取58倒非小细胞肺癌手术切除标本,采用SP法进行免疫组织化学染色。FGFR1OP和p57/Kip2在肺癌中的阳性表达率分别为91.4%和56.9%。FGFR1OP的表达强度与肿瘤的分化程度、病理类型密切相关,在低分化腺癌(P=0.003)和低分化鳞癌(P=0.001)中的表达强度要高于高分化的腺癌和鳞癌,在鳞癌中的表达强度高于腺癌(P=0.002);与之相反,p57/Kip2随着肿瘤分化程度降低(腺癌P=0.008,鳞癌P=0.000),表达强度也显著下降,在鳞癌中的表达强度要低于腺癌(P=0.000)。FGFR1OP的高表达与p57/Kip2的低表达可能参与肿瘤的生长分化和进展,并提示预后不良。     

基于18F-FDG PET/CT参数评价不同EGFR基因状态晚期肺腺癌患者放化疗疗效预测价值

为评价18F-FDG PET/CT参数对不同表皮生长因子受体(epithelial growth factor receptor, EGFR)基因状态晚期肺腺癌患者同步放化疗的疗效预测价值,本研究选择2016年1月至2018年2月我院初诊的100例晚期肺腺癌患者,比较不同EGFR基因状态下晚期肺腺癌患者同步放化疗治疗的临床疗效,并对18F-FDG PET/CT显像中原发病灶的各项代谢参数,代谢肿瘤体积(MTV)、最大标准摄取值(SUVmax)、平均标准摄取值(SUVmean)和总肿瘤糖酵解(TLG)值,以预测不同EGFR基因状态晚期肺腺癌患者同步放化疗效果的受试者工作特征曲线(receiveroperatingcharacteristiccurve,ROC曲线),并进行分析。结果显示,SUVmax预测不考虑EGFR基因状态的晚期肺腺癌患者放化疗疗效的截断值为9.50 (AUC=0.715,敏感度=79.7%,特异性=61%,p=0.031),SUVmax预测EGFR野生型的晚期肺腺癌患者放化疗疗效的截断值为9.50 (敏感度=82.4%,特异性=64.3%, p=0.014)。MTV预测EGFR 19号及21号外显子突变的晚期肺腺癌患者放化疗疗效的截断值分别为93.50(敏感度=63.6%,特异性=92.3%, p=0.021),77.00 (敏感度=83.3%,特异性=69.2%, p=0.041)。综上所述,对于EGFR基因状态不明的肺腺癌患者,SUVmax值可较好的预测放化疗效果,尤其是对于EGFR野生型患者;当EGFR19号及21号外显子突变时,MTV值预测结果优于SUVmax值。     

肺鳞癌、腺癌组织中miRNA-210表达对预后影响的初步研究

目的:探讨肺鳞癌腺癌组织中mi RNA-210表达水平对预后的影响。方法:选取我院2004年至2007年接受手术治疗的肺鳞癌腺癌患者80例,采用定量RT-PCR测定的方法 mi RNA-210在肺癌组织中的表达,并分析其与患者临床病理特点及组织类型之间的关系。结果:定量RT-PCR测定结果显示,mi RNA-210与肺鳞癌腺癌患者的无病生存期和总生存期负相关(DFS,P=0.001;OS,P=0.004)。mi RNA-210与腺癌患者淋巴结转移(P=0.018)、晚期疾病(P=0.003)及较差的预后(P=0.002)显著相关。多因素Cox分析显示mi RNA-210是腺癌患者无病生存期的独立预后因子(P0.001)。结论:肺腺癌病人肿瘤组织重mi RNA-210可能为预后的生物标志物。     

Survivin在肺鳞癌、腺癌组织中的表达、临床意义及其与P53表达的相关性

目的:探讨survivin在肺鳞癌、腺癌组织中的表达、临床意义及其与P53表达的临床病理相关性.方法:采用免疫组织化学(Envision二步法)检测survivin和P53在65例肺鳞癌、腺癌组织及15例肺良性病变组织中的表达情况.结果:survivin、P53的阳性率分别为58.5%(38/65)、53.8%(35/65),显著高于肺良性病变组织的0(0/15)、0%(0/15);survivin表达与肺鳞癌、腺癌的低分化(P<0.05)、淋巴结转移呈正相关(P<0.05),与患者预后负相关(P<0.05);P53的表达与肺癌组织的分化程度、TNM分期及淋巴结转移均有关(P<0.05);并且Survivin表达与P53表达呈正相关(P<0.05).结论:Survivin的表达与肺鳞癌、腺癌的低分化、淋巴结转移正相关;过度表达提示预后不良;Survivin有望成为肺癌诊断和基因治疗的新靶点;survivin和p53的协同表达可能是促进肺癌的恶性进展的重要因素.     

不同病理类型囊腔样肺癌的多排螺旋CT诊断

目的:分析不同病理类型囊腔样肺癌的多排螺旋CT(Multi-Detector Computed Tomography,MDCT)影像表现,以提高对该病的认识及早期诊断水平。方法:回顾性分析28例经病理证实的囊腔样肺癌的一般资料和MDCT表现,并分析不同病理类型的影像特征包括病灶大小、部位、形态分型、磨玻璃征、形态和边缘、瘤-肺界面、与支气管关系、囊腔内残留血管分隔、胸膜凹陷征、合并肺大泡等及其相关性。结果:28例囊腔样肺癌包括18例腺癌,3例微浸润腺癌,6例鳞癌,1例腺鳞癌。患者的平均发病年龄腺癌(60.56±8.03)和鳞癌(66.00±7.93岁)高于微浸润腺癌组(49.33±16.17岁)(F=3.449,P=0.048)。平均病灶大小腺癌(1.99±0.69 cm)和鳞癌(2.45±0.87 cm)大于微浸润腺癌(0.73±0.23 cm)(F=5.980,P=0.008)。磨玻璃征主要见于腺癌(14例,77.8%)或微浸润腺癌(3例,100.0%),与鳞癌(1例,16.7%)之间比较有统计学差异(P=0.012)。鳞癌(5例)与腺癌(2例)相比更容易显示支气管截断(P=0.003)。对不同病理类型囊腔样肺癌的其他影像特征之间比较无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:不同病理类型囊腔样肺癌具有一定的典型CT影像特征,如磨玻璃征可高度提示腺癌或微浸润腺癌,鳞癌更容易出现支气管截断征象或肺门侧软组织影。对于不典型病灶,影像动态随访对确诊很重要。     

肺鳞状细胞癌和腺癌PD-L1蛋白及相关miRNA表达差异的研究

摘要 目的：探讨肺鳞状细胞癌（鳞癌）和腺癌PD-L1蛋白及相关miRNA表达的差异。方法：2019年5月至2020年11月来我院就诊的非小细胞肺癌初治患者纳入本项研究；按照病理类型，将患者分为腺癌组和鳞癌组；H&E染色检测免疫细胞数量；免疫组化检测PD-L1、ki-67、PD-1、CTLA-4和LAG-3的表达；miRNA测序筛选鳞癌和腺癌间差异表达的miRNA。结果：H&E染色结果显示鳞癌组微环境中免疫细胞的数量为86.86±8.96个/高倍视野（HPF），腺癌组的数量为26.29±3.99个/HPF（t=6.173，P＜0.001）；肺鳞癌组微环境免疫细胞PD-1、CTLA-4和LAG-3阳性表达的比例分别为53.71±6.88%、35.29±3.25%和34.43±3.29%，腺癌组阳性表达的比例分别为22.29±3.80%、13.43±2.32%和24.00±1.98%（t=3.997，P=0.002；t=5.476，P＜0.001；t=2.719，P=0.019）；肺鳞癌组患者PD-L1蛋白阳性表达的比例为76.67%，腺癌组的比例为36.67%（P=0.001）；肺鳞癌PD-L1（miR-135、miR-24和miR-30b等）和PD-1（miR-802、miR-155和miR-3127-5p等）相关miRNA的表达均显著高于腺癌。结论：肺鳞癌PD-L1蛋白及相关miRNA的表达、微环境免疫细胞PD-1、CTLA-4和LAG-3阳性比例均显著高于腺癌。     

人类疱疹病毒8型ORF75基因亚型在鳞癌中的分布

目的:明确鳞癌感染人类疱疹病毒8型(HV-8)ORF75基因亚型分类并初步探讨其与鳞癌的相关性。方法:对40例皮肤鳞癌、46例食管鳞癌石蜡包埋组织进行HHV-8 DNA抽提、扩增、双向测序,使用DNASTAR软件、Crustal W软件和PHYLIP软件包对测序结果进行系统发生学分析,从而确定HHV-8 ORF75基因亚型,最后运用Fisher确切概率法对结果进行统计学分析。结果:①40例皮肤鳞癌有10例HHV-8感染为阳性,阳性率为25.0%;46例食管鳞癌有12例为阳性,阳性率为26.1%.②皮肤鳞癌感染HHV-8 ORF75亚型6例为A亚型,4例为C亚型;食管鳞癌感染HHV-8 ORF75亚型8例为A亚型,4例为C亚型③鳞癌感染HHV-8 ORF75基因亚型与鳞癌患者感染部位及病理分级之间没有统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:鳞癌患者感染HHV-8 ORF75亚型属于A亚型和C亚型;鳞癌感染HHV-8 ORF75基因亚型与鳞癌患者感染部位及病理分级无关。     

成纤维细胞生长因子3-siRNA对肺癌细胞A549侵袭性和基质金属蛋白酶9表达的影响

目的:探讨人成纤维细胞生长因子3(Fibroblast growth factor3,FGFR3)基因沉默对人类肺腺癌A549细胞侵袭能力及其对基质金属蛋白酶9(Matrix metaloproteinases 9,MMP9)基因表达的影响。方法:细胞分为3组:A组:实验组,即FGFR3特异性小干扰RNA(Small interfering RNA,siRNA)(siRNA-FGFR3)干扰组;B组:阴性对照组,即FGFR3非特异性阴性对照siRNA(siRNA-NC)干扰组;C组:空白对照组,无siRNA干扰;通过核酸转染试剂脂质体Lipofectamine TM2000(Lipo2000)转染A549细胞;倒置荧光显微镜观察Lipo2000转染效率;转染后A549细胞的侵袭能力用Transwell实验检测;实时荧光定量聚合酶链反应(Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction,Real-time PCR)用于检测转染前后FGFR3及MMP9 m RNA的表达水平。结果:Lipo2000介导的FAM-siRNA对肺腺癌A549细胞的转染效率可达80%;在转染36 h后,Transwell实验结果显示A组较B组、C组侵袭能力显著降低(P0.01)。Real-time PCR结果显示,A组较B、C组的FGFR3和MMP9基因表达量明显下调(P0.01)。结论:FGFR3基因沉默可明显抑制肺腺癌A549细胞的侵袭能力,并能下调MMP9表达。为肺癌的治疗提供了新的靶点。     

Survivin在肺鳞癌、腺癌中的表达及其与Ki67和p53表达的关系

目的探讨survivin在肺鳞癌、腺癌中的表达和意义及其与Ki67、p53表达的相关性。方法采用免疫组织化学SP法检测survivin、Ki67和p53在112例肺鳞癌、腺癌中的表达情况。结果Survivin、Ki67和p53的阳性率分别为59．8％（67／112）、46．4％（52／112）和51．8％（58／112）,survivin的表达与肺癌的低分化（P=0．009）和淋巴结转移正相关（P=0．014）;Ki67和p53的表达分别与肺鳞癌、腺癌的低分化程度负相关（P〈0．05）。Survivin与Ki67和p53在肺鳞癌、腺癌中的表达分别正相关（P〈0．01）。结论Survivin的表达与肺鳞癌、腺癌的低分化和淋巴结转移正相关;Ki67和p53的表达分别与肺鳞癌和腺癌的低分化程度相关,survivin、Ki67和p53三者的协同表达可能是促进肺癌的恶性进展的重要因素。     

Ⅲ期非小细胞肺癌患者精确放疗前后血清CEA、SCC、NSE水平变化及与放疗疗效的关系研究

目的:研究Ⅲ期非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者精确放疗前后血清癌胚抗原(CEA)、鳞状细胞癌相关抗原(SCC)、神经元特异性烯醇化酶(NSE)水平变化及与放疗疗效的关系。方法:选择2014年1月到2016年12月在亳州市人民医院肿瘤科就诊的60例Ⅲ期NSCLC患者纳入此次研究,其中鳞癌14例,腺癌26例,腺鳞癌20例。所有患者均实施4周的精确放疗,放疗后肿瘤标记物水平降低43例,升高17例。根据放疗疗效将患者分为有效组39例,无效组21例。对比不同病理类型的Ⅲ期NSCLC患者CEA、SCC、NSE水平,不同疗效组放疗前后CEA、SCC、NSE水平,并分析患者的肿瘤标记物水平变化与放疗疗效的关系。结果:腺癌Ⅲ期NSCLC患者的CEA、NSE水平高于鳞癌及腺鳞癌者,且腺鳞癌者又高于鳞癌者;SCC水平低于鳞癌及腺鳞癌者,且腺鳞癌者又低于鳞癌者(P0.05)。放疗后有效组CEA、SCC、NSE水平均低于放疗前和无效组,而无效组CEA、SCC、NSE水平高于放疗前(P0.05)。肿瘤标记物水平降低者的有效率高于升高者,差异有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:在实施精确放疗后治疗有效的Ⅲ期NSCLC患者,其血清CEA、SCC、NSE水平均呈现出明显的下降趋势,且与病理类型密切相关,临床上可重点关注上述指标水平,有助于患者的诊疗过程。     

非小细胞肺癌组织MMP-2、MMP-9的表达与组织学类型及临床分期的关系

目的:探究非小细胞肺癌组织基质金属蛋白酶-2(MMP-2)、基质金属蛋白酶-9(MMP-9)的表达及其与患者组织学类型及其临床分期的关系。方法:选取2014年1月至2017年1月于我院进行就诊并确诊为非小细胞肺癌的96例患者为实验组,另选取30例肺良性病变患者为对照组,使用免疫组织化学的方法检测患者肺癌组织或肺良性病变组织中MMP-2、MMP-9的表达,并分析MMP-2、MMP-9的表达与患者组织学类型及临床分期之间的关系。结果:非小细胞肺癌组织MMP-2及MMP-9表达水平显著高于肺良性病变组织(P0.05)。非小细胞肺癌鳞癌组织MMP-2、MMP-9表达明显高于腺癌和腺鳞癌(P0.05),而鳞癌与腺鳞癌组织MMP-2、MMP-9表达相比差异无统计学意义(P0.05)。随着非小细胞肺癌临床分期的增加,癌组织MMP-2及MMP-9表达逐渐上升,各分期比较差异均具有统计学意义(P0.05)。结论:MMP-2、MMP-9在非小细胞肺癌组织中的表达水平明显上调,以鳞癌最高,且与临床分期显著相关,提示其对组织学类型、临床分期、病情评估和预后判断均具有一定的参考意义。     

非小细胞肺癌患者血清CYFRA21-1、VEGF及CEA的表达及与临床病理特征的相关性研究

目的:研究非小细胞肺癌(NSCLC)患者血清细胞角蛋白19片段(CYFRA21-1)、血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)、癌胚抗原(CEA)的表达及与临床病理特征的相关性。方法:选取2015年12月至2016年4月在我院接受治疗的NSCLC患者120例作为观察组,另选取同期在我院接受治疗的肺部良性病变患者50例作为良性对照组,比较两组患者血清中CYFRA21-1、VEGF及CEA的表达,分析观察组患者血清中CYFRA21-1、VEGF及CEA的表达与临床病理特征之间的关系,采用Pearson相关系数分析观察组患者血清中CYFRA21-1、VEGF、CEA的相关性。结果:观察组患者血清中的CYFRA21-1、VEGF及CEA水平均高于良性对照组(P0.05)。鳞状细胞癌患者血清中CYFRA21-1水平高于腺癌患者,CEA水平低于腺癌患者(P0.05),鳞状细胞癌患者和腺癌患者血清中VEGF水平比较无统计学差异(P0.05)。TNM分期为III-IV期的观察组患者血清中CYFRA21-1、VEGF及CEA水平均明显高于I-II期患者,有统计学差异(P0.05)。经Pearson相关系数分析显示,观察组患者血清中CYFRA21-1与VEGF、CEA呈正相关(r=0.512,0.423,P=0.000,0.000),VEGF与CEA呈正相关(r=0.452,P=0.000)。结论:NSCLC患者血清中CYFRA21-1、VEGF及CEA呈高表达,且CYFRA21-1、CEA与病理类型和TNM分期有关,VEGF与TNM分期有关,且三种指标存在一定的相关性。     

术前预后营养指数对肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后复发及死亡的预测价值分析

摘要 目的：探讨术前预后营养指数（PNI）与肺鳞状细胞癌患者预后的关系及对术后复发、死亡的预测效能。方法：纳入2017年1月-2019年1月在我院接受治疗的78例肺鳞状细胞癌患者,所有患者均具有完整的临床资料及病理信息,对其进行门诊复查随访3年,除去失访病例共纳入76例患者资料,期间共有43例患者复发、37例患者死亡;按照复发及死亡情况将该76例患者分别分为复发组（n=43）及未复发组（n=33）,死亡组（n=37）及存活组（n=39）,分别使用单因素和多因素Logistic回归分析影响肺鳞状细胞癌患者复发及死亡的独立危险因素;采用受试者工作特征（ROC）曲线分别分析PNI在肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后复发及死亡的预测效能及最佳截断值。结果：单因素分析显示,TNM分期、吸烟年限、糖尿病、家族史、PNI是影响肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后复发的相关因素（P＜0.05）;性别、年龄、TNM分期、BMI、吸烟史、吸烟年限及PNI是影响肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后死亡的相关因素（P＜0.05）。多因素Logistic回归模型分析显示,TNM分期为Ⅲ期、吸烟年限较长、家族史是引发肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后复发的独立危险因素,PNI为保护因素（P＜0.05）;另外男性、年龄较大、TNM分期为Ⅲ期、吸烟年限较长是引发肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后死亡的独立危险因素,PNI为保护因素（P＜0.05）;ROC分析显示PNI在预测肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后复发的曲线下面积为0.726,敏感度为0.814,特异度为0.667,最佳截断值为48;PNI在预测肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后存活的曲线下面积为0.787,敏感度为0.838,特异度为0.718,最佳截断值为50。结论：PNI对肺鳞状细胞癌患者术后复发及生存均具有较高的预测效能,提高PNI水平对改善肺鳞状细胞癌患者的预后具有积极作用。     

Serum anti-p53 autoantibodies in primary resected non-small-cell lung carcinoma

 Mutated p53 proteins accumulate in the nuclei of tumor cells, and anti-p53 autoantibodies are found in the sera of patients with non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). We analyzed the correlation among serum anti-p53 autoantibodies, immunohistochemical staining for p53, and clinical features (age, gender, smoking history, histological type, differentiation, stage, T factor, tumor size, and N factor) in resected non-small-cell lung carcinomas. A total of 62 cases of resected NSCLC were studied (43 men and 19 women; 33 adenocarcinomas, 21 squamous cell carcinomas, 8 large-cell carcinomas). Preoperative serum titers of anti-p53 autoantibodies were detected in 13/62 cases (21.0%). A correlation between histological type and positive titers of serum p53 autoantibodies was seen (large-cell carcinoma versus squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma, P = 0.031, χ²-test). Out of 25 cases, 10 (40%) with positive immunohistochemical staining for p53 had positive titers, whereas 3 positive titers were found in 37 patients with negative immunohistochemical staining for p53 (P = 0.0025, χ²-test). Serum titers of anti-p53 autoantibodies were present in approximately 20% of the cases of NSCLC, and overexpression of p53 protein in tumor cells was detectable in approximately 40%. Serum anti-p53 autoantibodies may be a clinical parameter for the presence of p53 mutations and p53 overexpression in NSCLC patients. Received: 22 October 1997 / Accepted: 22 April 1998     

Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 1 Amplification in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer by Quantitative Real-Time PCR

Introduction

Amplification of the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) gene has been described in tumors of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Prior reports showed conflicting rates of amplification frequency and clinical relevance.

Materials and Methods

We developed a reliable real-time quantitative PCR assay to assess the frequency of FGFR1 amplification and assessed the optimal cutoff level of amplification for clinical application.

Results

In a training cohort of 203 NSCLCs, we established that a 3.5-fold amplification optimally divided patients into groups with different survival rates with a clear threshold level. Those with FGFR1 amplification levels above 3.5-fold had an inferior survival. These data were confirmed in a validation cohort of 142 NSCLC. After adjusting for age, sex, performance status, stage, and histology, patients with FGFR1 amplification levels above 3.5 fold had a hazard ratio of 2.91 (95% CI- 1.14, 7.41; pvalue-0.025) for death in the validation cohort. The rates of FGFR1 amplification using the cutoff level of 3.5 were 5.1% in squamous cell and 4.1% in adenocarcinomas. There was a non-significant trend towards higher amplifications rates in heavy smokers (> 15 pack-years of cigarette consumption) as compared to light smokers.

Discussion

Our data suggest that a 3.5-fold amplification of FGFR1 is of clinical importance in NSCLC. Our cutpoint analysis showed a clear threshold effect for the impact of FGFR1 amplification on patients’ survival, which can be used as an initial guide for patient selection in trials assessing efficacy of novel FGFR inhibitors.     

The use of p63 as an effective immunomarker in the diagnosis of pulmonary squamous cell carcinomas on de-stained bronchial lavage cytological smears

M. Uke, B. Rekhi, D. Ajit and N. A. Jambhekar
The use of p63 as an effective immunomarker in the diagnosis of pulmonary squamous cell carcinomas on de‐stained bronchial lavage cytological smears Objectives: A diagnosis in pulmonary onco‐cytopathology primarily necessitates distinguishing small cell carcinoma (SCLC) from non‐small cell carcinoma (NSCLC), which includes squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Lately, p63 antibody has been used for distinguishing squamous cell carcinoma from SCLC and adenocarcinoma. We present an analysis of p63 expression in cytological smears from 100 bronchial lavage specimens comprising 51 cases of SCLC and 49 cases of NSCLC. Methods: A single Papanicolaou‐stained conventional smear was de‐stained and re‐fixed with cold acetone and methanol for immunocytochemical staining with p63 antibody. Staining results were graded as 0 (nil), 1+ (focal), 2+ (moderate, diffuse) and 3+ (strong, diffuse). Results: Out of 100 cases, 21 were cytologically diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma. Twenty of these showed 2+ or 3+ p63 positivity, whereas one, which was adenocarcinoma on histology, showed 1+ staining. Of seven cases cytologically diagnosed as adenocarcinoma, six showed no p63 staining, whereas one, which was squamous cell carcinoma on histology, showed 1+ staining. All 48 cases cytologically diagnosed as SCLC were confirmed as such on histology and showed no p63 staining. Four cases were cytologically designated as poorly differentiated carcinomas, of which three showed no p63 staining and one showed 3+ staining. The former three were found to be SCLC on histology while the latter was squamous cell carcinoma. The remaining 20 cases were cytologically designated as NSCLC. Of these, eight showed no p63 staining, whereas 10 showed 1+ and two showed 2+ staining. The former eight were adenocarcinoma on histology and the latter two were squamous cell carcinoma. The 10 cases that showed 1+ p63 staining were adenocarcinomas (n = 5), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 4) and NSCLC, not otherwise specified (n = 1). Positive staining was seen in normal basal cells, which acted as an internal control. Overall sensitivity of p63 for squamous cell carcinoma was 100% and specificity was 90.4%. Conclusions: p63 immunostaining on processed cytology smears can be used to help identify squamous cell carcinoma. Its diffuse expression was specific for squamous cell carcinoma while focal staining was also seen in adenocarcinoma.