OBJECTIVEThe purpose of the present study was to explore the relationship between the expression of S100A4 and E-cad protein and some clinicopathological factors such as histological types, TNM stages, lymph node metastasis and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and analyze whether there is a correlation between them.

METHODSThe expression of S100A4 protein and E-cad protein was detected with immunohistochemical SP technique in 116 non-small-cell lung cancers.

RESULTSThe positive immunohistochemical staining for S100A4 protein was observed in 64 out of the 116 patients, with a positive rate of 55.2%. The expression rate of S100A4 protein was associated with age, tumor size, lymph node metastasis and prognosis of NSCLC. The expression of S100A4 protein was not significantly related with histological types, sex and TNM stages. The positive rate of E-cad protein expression was 65.5%. The expression of E-cad protein was associated with TNM staging, lymph node metastasis and prognosis of NSCLC. The expression of E-cad protein had no significant correlation with histological types, patient age and sex. An inverse correlation between the levels of S100A4 and E-cad protein expression was found (P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONExpression of S100A4 protein and loss of E-cad protein expression are significantly associated with tumor progression, and may become valuable markers in prediction of biological behavior and tendency of metastasis of non-small-cell lung cancers.