Expression of PHF20 protein contributes to good prognosis of NSCLC and is associated with Bax expression.

Background: Recent studies demonstrate that plant homeodomain finger protein 20 (PHF20), which was initially described as an immunogenic antigen in glioblastoma, is a putative transcriptional factor, and exhibits tumor suppressor activity. However, little is known about its expression and clinical significance in lung cancer.

Methods: We investigated the expression of PHF20 in 142 cases of NSCLC tissue and 30 cases of normal lung tissue by immunohistochemical staining and downregulated PHF20 expression in SPC cell.

Results: PHF20 expression was significantly higher in normal lung tissues than that in NSCLC tissues. The expression of PHF20 in NSCLC was significantly correlated with histological grade, p-TNM stage and lymph node metastasis. Moreover, the loss of PHF20 expression was associated with short overall survival. We also found that the expression of PHF20 was associated with Bax expression. Additionally, PHF20 markedly inhibited cell proliferation and invasion.

Conclusions: PHF20 may play an important role in NSCLC, and may serve as a potential therapeutic target of NSCLC.