Potentiality of forkhead box Q1 as a biomarker for monitoring tumor features and predicting prognosis in non‐small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the correlation of forkhead box Q1 (FOXQ1) with clinicopathological features and survival profiles in patients with non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A total of 238 NSCLC patients with TNM stage I‐III who underwent surgical resection were reviewed, and the expression of FOXQ1 in tumor and paired adjacent tissue was detected using immunohistochemistry assays. The clinical data and survival data of patients with NSCLC were retrieved and calculated. RESULTS: FOXQ1 expression was increased in tumor tissue (61.3% high expression and 38.7% low expression) compared with paired adjacent tissue (37.8% high expression and 62.2% low expression) (P < .001). In addition, high FOXQ1 expression was associated with larger tumor size (P = .042), lymph node metastasis (P = .040), and advanced TNM stage (P = .002). Disease‐free survival (DFS) (P = .016) and overall survival (OS) (P = .008) were both reduced in patients with high FOXQ1 expression compared with patients with low FOXQ1 expression. Additionally, high FOXQ1 expression (P = .043), poor pathological differentiation (P = .003), and lymph node metastasis (P < .001) were independent risk factors for DFS, and high FOXQ1 expression (P = .021), tumor size (>5 cm) (P = .014), and lymph node metastasis (P < .001) were independent risk factors for OS. CONCLUSION: High FOXQ1 expression is associated with advanced tumor features as well as undesirable survival profiles in patients with NSCLC, implying the potential prognostic value of FOXQ1 for NSCLC.