Vinculin expression in non-small cell lung cancer.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the expression of vinculin in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and to analyze its correlation with clinical features and prognosis of NSCLC. Methods: The expression of vinculin in cancer tissues and paracancer tissues was detected by real-time PCR, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. Correlations between vinculin-positive expression and clinical features were analyzed by Pearson correlation analysis, and those between vinculin expression and prognosis were analyzed by Cox multivariate analysis. Results: Vinculin expression was significantly lower in cancer tissues than in paracancer tissues. Pearson correlation analysis showed that vinculin expression was significantly correlated with tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) stage and lymph node metastasis in NSCLC. Cox multivariate analysis showed that vinculin-negative expression and TNM stage were independent risk factors for NSCLC prognosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the 5-year overall survival (OS) rate was 20.51% for all NSCLC patients, and was significantly higher for vinculin-positive patients with NSCLC than vinculin-negative patients. Conclusions: Vinculin gene transcription is inhibited in NSCLC, and low vinculin expression promotes malignancy in NSCLC. Therefore, vinculin could be used as a prognostic marker for NSCLC and a potential target for its treatment.