Integrating Tumor and Stromal Gene Expression Signatures With Clinical Indices for Survival Stratification of Early-Stage Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer

Investigators from Stanford developed a nine-gene expression predictor for survival outcome in early-stage nonsquamous NSCLC. They developed and validated a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assay easily applicable to routinely obtained paraffin-embedded tumor specimens. Because the molecular prognostic index provides independent prognostic information when compared with standard clinical and pathologic covariates (age, sex, and stage), the authors decided to combine both in order to create a more robust risk index. These findings will be useful for assessing recurrence risk for patients with nonsquamous NSCLC and could guide indications for adjuvant treatment in order to improve outcomes for high-risk patients.