[Reduction of FHIT gene expression in primary lung cancer: relationship with the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cell].

Objective: To investigate the role of FHIT(fragile histidine triad) gene in oncogenesis and progression of human lung cancer and explore the relationship of FHIT gene expression with the proliferation and apoptosis of tumor cells.

Methods: The expression of FHIT gene and that of Ki-67 were detected in 166 lung cancer samples and 37 lung benign lesion tissues as control by immunohistochemistry, and the apoptotic level of tumor cell was detected by terminal deoxynucl neotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick end labelling(TUNEL).

Results: (1)The expression level of FHIT gene was found to be significantly lower in lung cancer tissues than in benign lesion tissues (P<0.01); (2)The expression level of FHIT gene was closely related to histological classification, cancer cell differentiation, P-TNM stages and lymph node involvement in lung cancer patients (P<0.05); (3)Lasting and heavy smoking might be one of the important reasons of reduction of FHIT gene expression in lung cancer patients; (4)The postoperative survival time of patients in high FHIT expression group was significantly longer than those in low expression group (P<0.05); (5)The reduction of FHIT gene expression might be related with the over-proliferation and suppression of apoptosis of lung cancer cell(P<0.01).

Conclusion: FHIT gene may play a role in the regulation of proliferation and apoptosis of lung cancer cell. And reduction of FHIT gene expression may be related to the pathogenesis and development of lung cancer.