title: Clinicopathologic features and prognostic implications of NOK/STYK1 protein expression in non-small cell lung cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The expression of novel oncogenic kinase (NOK), a member of the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) family, has been observed in several human malignancies including non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the clinic relevance of NOK expression in NSCLC remains unclear.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, NOK expression in tumor cells was assessed using immunohistochemical methods in 191 patients with resected NSCLC. The association of NOK expression with clinicopathological parameters, including the Ki-67 labeling index (LI), was also evaluated. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the effect of NOK expression on survival.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data showed that NOK was expressed in 75.4% and 14.1% of cancer lesions and corresponding adjacent non-cancerous tissue, respectively. Out of all the clinicopathological factors analyzed, NOK expression was significantly correlated with the grade of tumor differentiation (P=0.035), pTNM stage (P=0.020), lymphatic metastasis (P=0.005) and high Ki-67 LI (P<0.001). NOK positive NSCLC patients had a significantly shorter survival time (P=0.004, Log-rank test) and the prognostic significance of NOK expression was apparent in squamous cell carcinoma patients (P=0.022). Multivariate analysis indicated that NOK expression may be an independent prognostic factor in NSCLC (hazard ratio [HR], 1.731; P=0.043).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that NOK expression is of clinical significance and can serve as a prognostic biomarker in NSCLC.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei-Miao
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of thoracic surgery, Tangdu hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China. yanxiaolong@fmmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiao-Long
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Zhi-Pei
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C482299:STYK1 protein, human