title: Expression and clinical significance of ezrin in non--small-cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ezrin is known to regulate cellular survival, adhesion, migration, and invasion and has been identified as 1 of the key components of tumor progression and metastasis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of ezrin expression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated the expression pattern of ezrin immunohistochemically in 89 paraffin samples of NSCLC between January 1998 and December 2006 and conducted survival analyses. In addition, 73 frozen specimens (including tumorous and precancerous tissues) of NSCLC and 28 frozen specimens of benign pneumonic diseases collected between January 2009 and December 2009 were analyzed by Western blot and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 89 paraffin samples, ezrin was expressed in 40 cases, either in the cytoplasm or on the membrane. Ezrin-positive expression was significantly associated with increased tumor stage and lymph node (LN) metastasis. The positive rate of cytoplasm expression was significantly associated with LN metastasis. Importantly, ezrin-positive expression independently predicted inferior overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS). In 73 frozen specimens of NSCLC and 28 frozen specimens of benign pneumonic diseases, the ezrin mRNA, protein, and phospho-ezrin protein expressions in tumorous tissues were higher than they were in precancerous tissues and benign pneumonic tissues.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggested that high-level ezrin expression contributed to NSCLC progression and that phosphorylation and subcellular translocation of ezrin might be the important mechanisms. Ezrin might be a potential prognostic marker of progression in NSCLC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respirology, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310003, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Qin
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Guo-Ping
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Jian-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D000099149:Ezrin
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D000099149:Ezrin