小细胞肺癌组织中LncRNA AK09398的表达及与预后的关系研究

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) accounts for approximately 15% of lung cancer. The poor prognosis of SCLC patients is attributed to the early blood and lymph node metastasis. However, the mechanism of SCLC is still unclear. Recent studies show that LncRNA plays an important role in the development, metastasis, and apoptosis of tumor. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the expression and clinical significance of LncRNA AK09398 in SCLC. METHODS: Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of LncRNA AK09398 in 118 cases of SCLC and non-cancerous tissues. qRT-PCR was also utilized to analyze the relationship between the expression and clinical pathological characteristics and prognosis of SCLC. RESULTS: The expression of LncRNA AK09398 in lung cancer tissues was (7.813±0.373). This value was significantly increased in paracarcinoma tissues (1.782±0.116) and normal lung tissues (1.209±0.200). The difference was statistically significant (F=58.41, P < 0.001). AK09398 expression was positively correlated with disease stage, lymph node and distant metastasis, chemosensitivity, and survival status (P < 0.05). However, AK09398 expression was not associated with gender and age (P > 0.05). Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that high expression level of AK09398 contributed to poor overall survival (P < 0.001) and progression-free survival (P < 0.001). The multivariate survival analysis also indicated that AK09398 expression, disease stage, and distant metastasis could be independent prognostic markers. CONCLUSION: LncRNA AK09398 is involved in the development of SCLC and can be used as a molecular marker to evaluate the prognosis of SCLC.