Expression and significance of hypoxia inducible factor-1α and lysyl oxidase in non-small cell lung cancer.

Object: To detect expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) and lysyl oxidase (LOX) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and explore their roles in prognosis.

Methods: The mRNA levels of HIF-1α and LOX were investigated by real-time reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in 40 cases of tumour and paired normal tissues. In addition, protein expression of HIF-1α and LOX was examined by immunohistochemistry in 82 cases of tumour and 45 paired normal tissues. The relationship between HIF-1α or LOX and clinicopathologic characteristics, as well as the correlation between HIF-1α and LOX, were also examined. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and the log-rank test were used to analyze progression-free survival.

Results: HIF-1α or LOX mRNA levels in tumor tissues was significantly higher than those in paired normal tissues (p<0.01). Positive HIF-1α or LOX protein expression in tumor tissues was noted in 46/82 (56.1%) and 49/82 (59.8%) of the cases, respectively, being significantly higher than those in paired normal tissues (p<0.05). There was significant correlation between the expression of HIF-1α or LOX and tumor size, lymph node metastasis and pathological stage (p<0.05). The expression of HIF-1α and LOX had a significant inverse impact on survival of patients with NSCLC.

Conclusion: HIF-1α and LOX may play a pivotal role in the development of NSCLC, and may act in synergy to promote the progression of NSCLC.