Serum GRP78 as a Tumor Marker and Its Prognostic Significance in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancers: A Retrospective Study.
BACKGROUND
Glucose-regulated protein 78 (78 kDa, GRP78), which is also known as immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (BIP), is a major chaperone in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The expression and clinical significance of GRP78 in the serum of non-small cell lung cancer patients have not yet been clearly described. The aims of the present study were to investigate the expression of GRP78 in the serum of non-small cell lung cancer patients, the relationships with clinicopathological parameters, and the potential implications for survival.


METHODS
A total of 163 peripheral blood samples from non-small cell lung cancer patients were prospectively collected at the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer, China. Clinical characteristics data, including age, gender, stage, overall survival (OS) time, and relapse-free survival (RFS) time, were also collected. Serum GRP78 levels were measured using a commercially available ELISA kit. The associations between GRP78 levels and clinicopathological characteristics and survival were examined using Student's t-test, Kaplan-Meier, or Cox regression analyses.


RESULTS
The mean ± standard error (SE) value of GRP78 was 326.5 ± 49.77 pg/mL. This level was significantly lower compared with the level in late-stage non-small cell lung cancer patients (1227 ± 223.6, p = 0.0001). There were no significant correlations with the clinicopathological parameters. No significant difference was found between high GRP78 expression and low GRP78 expression with regard to RFS (p = 0.1585). However, the OS of patients with higher GRP78 expression was significantly poorer (p = 0.0334).


CONCLUSIONS
GRP78 was expressed in non-small cell lung cancer patients and was highly enriched in late-stage lung cancer. GRP78 may have an important role in the carcinogenesis of non-small cell lung cancer and may be a prognostic marker for non-small cell lung cancer.
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Xiao
X
Ma
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Wei
W
Guo
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Nanjing Chest Hospital, Nanjing 210029, China.
Su
S
Yang
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China ; Department of Pathology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai 200032, China.
Xiaoli
X
Zhu
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China ; Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
Jiaqing
J
Xiang
Department of Thoracic Surgery, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China.
Hecheng
H
Li
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; D005260:Female; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; C000717247:HSPA5 protein, human; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins