Objective:To explore the relationship between spindle and kinetochore-associated protein 3(SKA3), dual-specificity phosphatase 26(DUSP26), and prognosis in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on case samples from elderly patients with NSCLC at Xinxiang Central Hospital between January 2020 and May 2023.During surgery, specimens of cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected.The expressions of SKA3 and DUSP26 in these tissues were assessed using immunohistochemistry, and their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed.The relationship between SKA3 and DUSP26 in cancer tissues was examined using the Spearman correlation coefficient.After one year of follow-up, the association between SKA3 and DUSP26 expressions in cancer tissues and patient prognosis was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and prognostic factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model.Results:In this cohort of 145 elderly patients aged 65 to 85 years(mean age: 72.61±3.87), including 91 males, we observed that the positive expression rates of SKA3 and DUSP26 in cancer tissues were 66.21%(96/145)and 71.03%(103/145), respectively.These rates were significantly higher than those found in para-carcinoma tissues, which were 16.55%(24/145)and 13.79%(20/145), with a P-value of <0.05.Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between SKA3 and DUSP26 expression in cancer tissues( r=0.571, P<0.001).Moreover, the proportions of low differentiation, clinical staging at stages Ⅰ-Ⅱ, and lymph node metastasis were significantly higher in the SKA3-positive group compared to the SKA3-negative group( P<0.05), and similarly, these proportions were higher in the DUSP26-positive group than in the DUSP26-negative group( P<0.05).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that after one year of follow-up, the cumulative survival rates for patients with positive expressions of SKA3 and DUSP26 were 61.46%(59/96)and 58.25%(60/103), respectively, which were significantly lower than those with negative expressions[87.76%(43/49)and 92.86%(39/42), P<0.05].Cox regression analysis identified low differentiation( HR=1.817, 95% CI: 1.294-2.550), clinical staging at stage Ⅲ( HR=1.939, 95% CI: 1.315-2.858), lymph node metastasis( HR=1.898, 95% CI: 1.350-2.670), as well as positive expressions of SKA3( HR=2.071, 95% CI: 1.317-3.257)and DUSP26( HR=2.136, 95% CI: 1.402-3.256)as significant risk factors for prognosis( P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression rates of SKA3 and DUSP26 in cancer tissues are significantly elevated in elderly patients with NSCLC.Furthermore, these two biomarkers are correlated with the degree of differentiation, clinical staging, and lymph node metastasis, indicating their potential utility in evaluating the prognosis of elderly NSCLC patients.

Objective:To explore the relationship between spindle and kinetochore-associated protein 3(SKA3), dual-specificity phosphatase 26(DUSP26), and prognosis in elderly patients with non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC).Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on case samples from elderly patients with NSCLC at Xinxiang Central Hospital between January 2020 and May 2023.During surgery, specimens of cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected.The expressions of SKA3 and DUSP26 in these tissues were assessed using immunohistochemistry, and their correlations with clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed.The relationship between SKA3 and DUSP26 in cancer tissues was examined using the Spearman correlation coefficient.After one year of follow-up, the association between SKA3 and DUSP26 expressions in cancer tissues and patient prognosis was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier curves, and prognostic factors were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model.Results:In this cohort of 145 elderly patients aged 65 to 85 years(mean age: 72.61±3.87), including 91 males, we observed that the positive expression rates of SKA3 and DUSP26 in cancer tissues were 66.21%(96/145)and 71.03%(103/145), respectively.These rates were significantly higher than those found in para-carcinoma tissues, which were 16.55%(24/145)and 13.79%(20/145), with a P-value of <0.05.Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between SKA3 and DUSP26 expression in cancer tissues( r=0.571, P<0.001).Moreover, the proportions of low differentiation, clinical staging at stages Ⅰ-Ⅱ, and lymph node metastasis were significantly higher in the SKA3-positive group compared to the SKA3-negative group( P<0.05), and similarly, these proportions were higher in the DUSP26-positive group than in the DUSP26-negative group( P<0.05).Kaplan-Meier survival analysis indicated that after one year of follow-up, the cumulative survival rates for patients with positive expressions of SKA3 and DUSP26 were 61.46%(59/96)and 58.25%(60/103), respectively, which were significantly lower than those with negative expressions[87.76%(43/49)and 92.86%(39/42), P<0.05].Cox regression analysis identified low differentiation( HR=1.817, 95% CI: 1.294-2.550), clinical staging at stage Ⅲ( HR=1.939, 95% CI: 1.315-2.858), lymph node metastasis( HR=1.898, 95% CI: 1.350-2.670), as well as positive expressions of SKA3( HR=2.071, 95% CI: 1.317-3.257)and DUSP26( HR=2.136, 95% CI: 1.402-3.256)as significant risk factors for prognosis( P<0.05). Conclusions:The expression rates of SKA3 and DUSP26 in cancer tissues are significantly elevated in elderly patients with NSCLC.Furthermore, these two biomarkers are correlated with the degree of differentiation, clinical staging, and lymph node metastasis, indicating their potential utility in evaluating the prognosis of elderly NSCLC patients.

Objective: To investigate the expression of Fermintin family homologous protein 2 (FERMT2) in non-small cell lung cancer and its clinical significance. Methods: Seventy-two patients with non-small cell lung cancer were collected at Xinxiang Central Hospital, Henan Province, from January 2015 to January 2017.There were 48 male and 24 female patients, the age ranged from 37 to 78 years (mean 58 years). The expression of FERMT2 in tumor samples and para-cancerous tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry. Protein and mRNA expression of FERMT2 were detected by Western blot and real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR, respectively. Western blot method was also used to detect integrin-related protein expression, including integrin beta 1 (CD29), vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM1), and mobile related protein-1 (MRP1). Results: Immunohistochemistry showed that the positive rates of FERMT2 expression were 81.9%(59/72)in carcinoma tissue and 15.4%(11/72) in para-cancerous tissues, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). Positive FERMT2 expression was different in tumors at different tumor stages: 11/17 at stage Ⅰ, 16/20(80.0%)at stage Ⅱ, 17/20(85.0%)at stage Ⅲ, and 15/15 at stage Ⅳ, and there was a significant difference between each stage (P<0.01). By real-time PCR and Western blot, the expression of FERMT2 in non-small cell lung cancer tissues was significantly higher than that of para-cancerous tissue (P<0.01). The expression levels of integrin related proteins (integrin β1, VCAM1 and MRP1) in tumor tissues were significantly higher than those in para-cancerous tissues, and positively correlated with the expression of FERMT2 (r=0.531, P<0.01; r=0.483, P<0.01; r=0.612, P<0.01). Conclusions FERMT2 is highly expressed in non-small cell lung carcinomas. Its expression is closely correlated with the tumor clinical stage. It is hypothesized that FERMT2 may promote tumor metastasis through interactions with integrin-like protein.