Prognostic value of KIF 2 A and TP 53 overexpression in non-small cell lung cancer

Kinesin family member 2a (KIF2A), a member of Kinesin-13 family, is involved in the development and progression of several human cancers. However, its expression and prognostic implication in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the expression of KIF2A and TP53 and their prognostic significance in 188 patients with NSCLC. KIF2A and TP53 protein expression were assessed by tissue microarraybased immunohistochemistry (IHC). Real-time PCR was used to evaluate KIF2A mRNA expression in 22 pairs of NSCLC and matched tumor-adjacent tissues. We observed significantly elevated KIF2A transcripts in NSCLC tissues. Moreover, IHC expression levels of both KIF2A and TP53 protein were significantly increased in NSCLC specimens compared with non-tumorous lung tissues. High KIF2A protein expression in NSCLC was related to TNM stage (P<0.001), tumor status (T) (P=0.022), lymph node metastasis (N) (P=0.006) and gender (P=0.019). High expression of both KIF2A and TP53 was related to TNM stage (P=0.001) and N stage (P=0.007). Further study revealed the positive correlation between KIF2A and TP53 expression in NSCLC (r=0.340, P<0.001). Multivariate analyses suggested that KIF2A and TP53 were independent prognostic factors for patients with NSCLC. These results suggest that high KIF2A or TP53 expression is associated with poor prognosis in NSCLC, and the combined detection of KIF2A and TP53 may be helpful in predicting the prognosis of NSCLC patients.