Aberrant expression of HIF3A in plasma of patients with non‐small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia‐inducible factors (HIFs) have been evaluated in various cancers and diseases. However, the specific role of hypoxia‐inducible factor 3 alpha (HIF3A) in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains controversial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated HIF3A mRNA expression in the plasma and tumor tissues of patients with NSCLC and explored its clinical significance. Plasma samples from 103 cases of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and 96 cases of lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC), and tumor‐adjacent normal tissues from 58 LUAD and 62 LUSC cases were retrospectively evaluated at the No.8 People's Hospital of Qing Dao. HIF3A expression was explored using RT‐qPCR. The clinical significance of HIF3A was evaluated in the plasma and tumor tissues using the receiver operating curve (ROC) and the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS: Hypoxia‐inducible factor 3 alpha expression was notably downregulated in the plasma or tumor tissues of patients with LUAD and LUSC, compared with the healthy control group or adjacent normal tissues. Furthermore, HIF3A expression had a significant positive correlation in the plasma and tumor tissues of LUAD and LUSC patients. Meanwhile, the ROC‐AUCs achieved a significantly higher range, from 0.84 to 0.93, with the plasma or tumor tissues of NSCLC patients. Thus, HIF3A expression was not only correlated with plasma and tumor tissues, but also showed potential significance in NSCLC. CONCLUSION: Hypoxia‐inducible factor 3 alpha is aberrantly detectable in NSCLC patients in the plasma and tumor tissues. HIF3A may be involved in hypoxic responses during the development and occurrence of NSCLC.