A Pilot Study of RSK4 Expression in Patients with Human Non-Small Cell Lung Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Lung cancer represents the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) comprising the most common type of lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this pilot study was to ascertain RSK4 expression at both the gene and protein level in normal and cancerous tissue of patients with NSCLC.

METHODS: From January 2015 to December 2015, a total of forty patients diagnosed with NSCLC who underwent surgery were recruited into this study. All NSCLC diagnoses were confirmed by pathological examination. Normal and cancerous lung tissues were collected via surgical dissection. RSK4 gene and protein expression levels were ascertained using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction amplification and immunohistochemistry, respectively. Expression levels and patient pathological clinical parameters were compared by semi-quantitative method.

RESULTS: Both RSK4 gene and protein expression levels were significantly reduced in patient cancerous tissue compared to their normal lung tissue ( P <0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: RSK4 expression is associated with clinical and pathological staging of NSCLC. Our preliminary data from this pilot study suggest that RSK4 constitutes a putative tumor suppressor gene for NSCLC. The relationship between RSK4 gene expression and NSCLC prognosis and clinical outcome needs to be further studied in a multi-center cohort study with a large patient sample.