Expression and clinical significance of MTH1 in pathological tissues of patients with non-small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Objective To investigate the expression and clinical significance of mutT homolog 1(MTH1) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods The pathological tissues of 197 patients diagnosed with NSCLC who were treated surgically in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University and Liuzhou People＇s Hospital from March 2013 to March 2017 were collected.The expression of MTH1 protein was assessed by immunohistochemistry, according to the level of MTH1.Patients were divided into high and low expression groups to analyze the relationship between MTH1 expression and clinical characteristics of patients. Results Male, smoking index≥20 packs-year, squamous cell carcinoma, pathological stage>Ⅰ stage, tumor diameter≥3 cm, lymph node metastasis, pleural infiltration positive, lymph node infiltration, and vascular invasion had statistical differences between MTH1 high expression group and MTH1 low expression group (all P<0.05). The 5-year overall survival rates of MTH1 high expression and MTH1 low expression were 81.6% and 92.3%, respectively (χ2=10.003, P=0.001); the 5-year disease-free survival rates were 55.0% and 83.7%, respectively (χ2=10.117, P<0.001). MTH1 high expression (HR=1.713, 95% CI: 1.865-4.118, P=0.047) and lymph node metastasis (HR=9.189, 95% CI: 2.824-39.457, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for overall survival.MTH1 expression (HR=1.605, 95% CI: 1.627-3.248, P=0.039) and lymph node metastasis (HR=4.501, 95% CI: 1.942-11.546, P<0.001) were independent risk factors for tumor-free survival. Conclusions Patients with high MTH1 expression in NSCLC show higher malignant characteristics, and their survival rate is lower than patients with low expression of MTH1. Key words: Carcinoma, non-small-cell lung; Prognosis; MutT homolog 1; Survival rate