Objectives: To examine the association of BP1 mRNA level with tumor characteristics and clinical prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.
Design and methods: Tumor specimens from 98 NSCLC patients who underwent surgical resection were quantitatively determined for BP1 mRNA expression by real-time RT-PCR.
Results: BP1 mRNA was expressed at significantly higher levels in tumors than in adjacent nontumorous tissues and normal lung samples. The level of BP1 transcript was significantly associated with tumor histological type and cell differentiation grade, but not related with other clinicopathological factors and p53 mutations. Patients with high BP1 mRNA expression had a poorer prognosis in terms of both disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) rates. Additionally, BP1 mRNA expression level was an independent prognostic factor for DFS.
Conclusions: BP1 may be part of a pathway contributing to NSCLC development and/or progression. BP1 mRNA level could be a novel prognostic marker for NSCLC.