This analysis attempted to ascertain whether combining the expression of c-Myc and caspase-3 can improve the available prognostic information for patients with non-small cell lung carcinomas. To this purpose, the expression of c-Myc and caspase-3 was determined in 128 cases of non-small cell lung carcinoma. The median survival time for patients with c-Myc-negative carcinomas was 89 weeks; it was only 43 weeks for patients with c-Myc-positive tumors (p=0.03). The estimated increased relative risk for patients with c-Myc-positive tumors was 1.6. The median survival time for patients with caspase-3-negative carcinomas was 41 weeks while patients with caspase-3-positive carcinomas survived for 79 weeks (p=0.06). The relative risk for patients with caspase-3-negative tumors was 1.5. A significant inverse relationship between the expression of c-Myc and caspase-3 was observed (p=0.04). To determine whether the combination of c-Myc and caspase-3 expression has a higher prognostic significance, patients were grouped based on their expressions of both variables. Patients with c-Myc-negative and caspase-3-positive tumors had the most favorable prognosis (102 weeks) while c-Myc-positive and caspase-3-negative carcinomas had the most unfavorable prognosis (22 weeks; p=0.01).

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