Serum integrin-linked kinase (sILK) concentration and survival in non-small cell lung cancer: a pilot study

Abstract

Integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is an intracellular signaling protein critically involved in cellular growth and motility. In non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), increased ILK expression has been associated with decreased recurrence-free and overall survival. Recently, ILK has also been detected in the serum of NSCLC patients. To assess the prognostic impact of preoperative serum ILK (sILK) concentration on overall survival in surgically amenable NSCLC. Preoperative sILK was quantified by ELISA in 50 newly diagnosed NSCLC patients. After surgery, patients were followed-up for a median interval of 2.5 years. Serum ILK concentrations ranged from 0 to 2.44 ng/ml. Mean sILK was around 2.3 times higher in the 16 patients who died as compared to the 34 patients who survived (1.04 vs. 0.45 ng/ml, p = 0.001). In univariate time-to-event analysis, increased sILK was associated with adverse survival [Hazard ratio (HR): 4.03, 95 % CI: 2.00-8.13, p < 0.001]. This association prevailed after multivariable adjustment for several clinical, demographic, and laboratory parameters (HR: 3.85, 95 % CI: 1.53-9.72, p = 0.004). Serum ILK shows potential as a novel strong and independent prognostic marker for postoperative survival in surgically amenable NSCLC.