Reduction of Raf Kinase Inhibitor Protein Expression is Associated with Lymph Node Metastasis in Resectable Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

INTRODUCTION: Raf kinase inhibitor protein (RKIP) had been identified as one of prognostic indictor in various malignant diseases. Association of RKIP expression and the clinical-pathological features were not investigated in patients with resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODOLOGY: 159 sectioned samples from surgical NSCLC patients were investigated by immunohistochemistry in order to reveal the associations between RKIP expression and clinical-pathologic features. RESULTS: Statistically, Lower RKIP expression level was found in the group with higher N stage (P<0.01) and higher TNM stage (P<0.05). No significant correlation was observed between RKIP expressions and histologic type (P>0.05) and tumor size (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Down expression level of RKIP was found relating to lymph node metastasis in resectable NSCLC patients in this study.