The relationship of EZH2 and HOXA5 with non-small cell lung carcinoma patient survival rate

BACKGROUND: The primary cause of cancer-related death globally is non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Our objectives were to show the expression and distribution of EZH2 and homeobox A5 (HOXA5) in 194 human NSCLC tissues, as well as to evaluate the expression of EZH2 and HOXA5 with patients’ survival rate. We also aimed to determine the statistical correlations of GST-π and survivin expression with chemotherapy and survival rate. METHOD: A total of 194 patients with NSCLC and 18 standard controls were included. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the EZH2, HOXA5, GST-π, and survivin expression. The expression of EZH2, HOXA5, GST-π and Survivin with clinicopathological features in NSCLC patients was assessed and the prognostic value of EZH2, HOXA5, GST-π and Survivin expression was evaluated using a Kaplan-Meier curve and log-rank analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that EZH2 and Survivin were not detected in normal lung tissues, but for the HOXA5, the ratio of expression in adenocarcinoma reached up to 80%, and up to 75% in squamous carcinoma. NSCLC patients with late stage TNM (III, IV) had a relatively high EZH2 expression compared to those with early stage (I, II) (P<0.01), and patients with lymphatic metastasis had a higher EZH2 expression compared to those with no metastasis (P<0.01). Cox analysis revealed that an independent biomarker for forecasting poor overall survival (OS) in NSCLC patients was a strong HOXA5 and Survivin combination. CONCLUSIONS: EZH2 improves NSCLC cells’ metastatic ability and that HOXA5 and Survivin could be a potential biomarker for diagnostic and prognostic use in patients with NSCLC.